More children across our state don’t have a safe place to sleep
That’s according to the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.
Reporter Zac Kaye talked with officials in Clearfield County who say the problem has gotten worse in the last couple of years.
The director of Clearfield County CYS says that they have been experiencing staffing issues and due to a lack of placement facilities, a few kids have had to stay overnight right here at their office in Downtown Clearfield.
Trudy Lumadue, is the Director of Clearfield County Children, Youth, and Family Services says
“CYS, we’re a 24-hour service and there’s no option to turn kids away.”
A report from different county leaders throughout the state showed that more than 250 youth slept somewhere like a hotel instead of a licensed facility. The director of the Clearfield County CYS office says a lot of those facilities are full, which limits their options.
“We’ve had a few kids that have had to stay at our agency and we manage it I think very well, the staff that we have are great and everybody steps up and chips in and we take care of this child like they’re our own.”
Both Trudy Lumadue and Clearfield County Commissioner John Sobel say they have seen the number of mistreated children has gone up over the last couple of years.
Sobel says that this is due to many reasons, such as the rise in drug addiction in the area. He says there needs to be a better protocol in place, and also says that more funding from the state would go a long way.
