West Virginia spends $62M sending foster kids out of state; Morrisey wants $6M to bring them home

by Amelia Ferrell Knisely, West Virginia Watch
February 3, 2026

West Virginia is spending more than $62 million putting hundreds of foster children in out-of-state facilities across the country. Some children are more than 2,000 miles from home in states like California and Washington. 

Gov. Patrick Morrisey has asked lawmakers for $6 million with the goal of bringing 380 children back to West Virginia. 

“Is $6 million enough?” asked Del. John Williams, D-Monongalia as the House Finance Committee vetted the state Department of Human Services’ proposed budget. “I mean, that’s less than 10% of what we’re paying now out of state. Is $6 million going to bring 10% of our kids home?”

The state doesn’t have enough in-state treatment beds for children in foster care — many of whom have experienced trauma and need high levels of care. The shortage of beds in West Virginia has led to children being sent out of state and placed in hotel rooms or short-term rental properties. 

There are nearly 400 West Virginia foster children in out-of-state group homes and psychiatric facilities in states including Florida, Minnesota, Texas and Utah, according to DoHS data.

“Those placements are costly. They separate children from their families and communities. And they often lead to longer stays and worse outcomes,” Morrisey said during his State of the State address last month.

Weeks later, DoHS Secretary Alex Mayer told lawmakers the price tag for sending these foster children to facilities all over the country is a significant driver of his agency’s budget. The governor’s proposed budget included a $8.9 billion request for Mayer’s agency.

According to Mayer, in-state facilities, particularly those that can provide high levels of care, “are significantly populated with truancy youth,” leading to children being sent out of state.

“Truancy youth are ordered there … because there’s on-ground schools,” he told lawmakers. “… We have an inability to effectively use all the in-state placements because those [truant] youth are taking up beds within the state.”

Morrisey wants to launch what he has called the “Bring Them Home” fund to renovate current state-owned buildings with the goal of opening beds for foster children who need acute mental and behavioral health services. He said the idea will save West Virginia tens of millions of dollars because out-of-state placements are costly.

“Let’s bring our kids home, where they belong,” the governor said.

In front of lawmakers, Mayer said the fund isn’t meant to be the “exclusive solution” to bringing foster children back to West Virginia.

“[We] continue to talk with providers about expanded services and better utilization of other facilities in other areas,” Mayer said, adding that DoHs is trying to place a child with higher needs in families that can support them without any other placements in the home.” 

There are similar bills in the House of Delegates and Senate to create special accounts that would support the expansion of in-state residential treatment providers for children; lawmakers would appropriate money to the fund. Bill sponsors — Sen. Vince Deeds, R-Greenbrier, and Del. Adam Burkhammer, R-Lewis — had worked on their bills ahead of Morrisey announcing his own “Bring Them Home” fund idea.

Their bills would put guardrails on how the money could be spent. Lawmakers said in the bills that it would be a more cost-effective use of state resources to support in-state providers versus sending children out of state at a much higher price tag. 

Deeds wants $5 million for the fund. 

“It’s a good first step for the brick and mortar to get the facilities prepared … but then also we need the professional care,” he said on Monday. “West Virginia is a little bit of a desert for our professional health care workers that deal with these young people, so we need to make sure that we make it very attractive for those health care workers to come to West Virginia and to stay here to take care of our children.”

He added that it needs to be a recurring fund that goes beyond this year if passed. 

“We need to make sure that it stays. It’s just not a one and done type of funding,” Deeds said. 

The Senate’s two Democratic members have asked the GOP-led Senate to forgo Morrisey’s proposed 5% tax cut, saying lawmakers should, instead, nearly double the governor’s proposed budget for foster care. Democratic Senators said $20 million could be used to increase in-state placements for children, support nonprofits helping foster children and more. 

West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.