Some foster children have new homes, but bigger crisis in Washington state remains

Over two dozen high-needs foster kids in Seattle who were in limbo have now gotten places to stay now.

But their plight illustrates key flaws in the state foster care system.

The organization that had housed the children, Ryther, says Washington state doesn’t pay enough to cover the cost to care for foster children with high mental health and behavioral needs. In September Ryther decided to end its contract with the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families and stop caring for 26 high-needs foster children.

The children had to leave by the end of the month. Some of the children are now back with their families, some are in new foster homes, and some are out of state in Idaho and Illinois. One young person has been allowed to stay at Ryther longer, but how long is unclear.

Washington state has a foster care crisis, and hundreds of foster children have to sleep in hotels or offices because there is nowhere else for them to go.

“There’s already not enough foster homes that can serve these kinds of children – children with exceptional needs,” Ryther executive director Karen Brady said. “And I think this just exacerbates the problem.”

The state contract sets staff salaries at $13.50 an hour for the state and $15 an hour in Seattle, based on a consultant’s rate study. Ryther paid staff $17 an hour, Brady said.

The state Department of Children, Youth and Families wants to pay providers like Ryther more, spokesperson Debra Johnson said, but the department has no hard timeline for that to happen.