Georgia faces hurdles to get foster children out of hotels

By JEFF AMY
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Dozens of Georgia’s most troubled foster children are housed in hotels or state offices each night, because the state can’t find a better place for them to stay. But officials trying to end the practice face fights with the state’s own insurer and a lack of treatment beds. Keeping children in hotels typically costs $1,500 a night. It also denies children a stable environment and needed treatment. Department of Human Services Commissioner Candice Broce says she’s “hell-bent” on ending hotel stays. Providers may be refusing children because the state doesn’t pay enough. But advocates also say Medicaid makes it hard to find treatment before children spiral into crisis.