The landscape of foster care in Arizona is undergoing significant upheaval as the Department of Child Safety (DCS) has recently opted not to renew contracts with 16 group home providers, impacting around 200 children within the state's foster care system. As reported by Arizona's Family, this decision has left providers like Ohana and L's House grappling with the reality of looming layoffs and the difficult task of informing children that they will be transitioning to new living environments.
Dr. Ryan Senters, CEO of Ohana, which serves 500 kids and is facing the prospect of moving 80 of them after this shakeup, told Arizona's Family, "We have been providing homes for these kids since 2016 so we’re honestly shocked by it." Senters also notes that the contract decision could lead to the dismissal of 50 employees. L's House echoed a similar sentiment, with the program director Cathy Donnell expressing concern over, how to convey the impending changes to the children they have formed bonds with.
The changes come amidst a broader strategy by DCS to reduce reliance on congregate care in favor of family-like settings. In an effort to ease the transition for affected children, DCS has stated that they are extending current contracts beyond the original June 1 deadline to minimize disruption to the children's school year. "Children thrive when they are able to make strong, family connections," according to a statement by DCS, highlighting their ongoing efforts to prioritize kinship care and foster relationships.
Meanwhile, a separate situation unfolded with We Care Homes, a provider that operated foster care group homes in south Phoenix for a decade, having their contract discontinued after a stop-work order was issued on May 8 following various complaints. CEO Veronica Johnson defended her organization in an interview with ABC15, stating, "It was not that we were negligent, and we were just abusing kids, and I created a bad environment." This comes after allegations of children being hungry and mistreated under We Care Homes' care surfaced earlier.
The non-renewed contracts are not necessarily linked to budget constraints or violations, as per DCS, but are a result of assessing the applicants' competitive bids. DCS further clarifies, "If a provider has a violation, it doesn’t automatically disqualify their proposal," indicating a comprehensive evaluation process. Details of the evaluations can be accessed via the Arizona Procurement Portal. Still, the abrupt shift has stoked concerns among the affected providers, who argue that the true cost of these administrative decisions is borne by the vulnerable children caught in the crosshairs of systemwide change.
