Raleigh North Carolina (WNCN) – Wake County has no place to temporarily place a teenager in foster care who needs enhanced behavioral health care.
This has led children to seek care in office buildings and emergency departments, said Sheila Donaldson, the county’s co-interim director of child welfare.
“Did these children really get better with our intervention?” Donaldson asked. “And what we see when children are in our building or sitting in the emergency department is that their situation is not good.”
This week, Wake County leaders are pledging to fund three new temporary homes for children ages 12 to 17 who need mental health care or substance abuse care for up to 90 days. Approved $2 million.
“Young people in need of mental health are getting more and more attention,” Donaldson said.
Each house has 18 beds.
The county has partnered with Alliance Health to oversee care.
That’s a good thing, Donaldson says, but the need goes beyond just three group homes.
Overall, Wake County has over 500 children in foster care, but there are only 90 licensed foster homes in the county.
“This is a great opportunity, but we also need a place for these kids to transition to when they come out of these transitional homes,” Donaldson said.
The goal is to open three transitional homes in the next calendar year.
