Group homes could make a comeback in Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – State-funded group homes for juvenile offenders could be making a comeback. Some Sedgwick County leaders are pushing for the change.
The district attorney and some county commissioners say the foster care system is overwhelmed. For years, there have been reports of kids having to sleep overnight in offices. It's something Sedgwick County Commissioner Jim Howell says is particularly affecting juvenile offenders.
'There is not a group home placement for these kids,' Howell said. 'They cannot be placed in foster care reasonably or safely, they can't really go home, then where do we put these kids?'
'(We need to be) giving judges another option other than sending them home or sending them to the functional equivalent of a juvenile prison,' said Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett.
Howell and Bennett say bringing back group homes would be a solution.
A 2016 bill got rid of existing state-funded group homes. A new bill in the legislature, HB 2329, would bring them back on a smaller scale.
'Create beds where appropriate in some parts of our state, surely some of those would go to Sedgwick County,' Howell said. I'm not asking to go back to 300 beds in our state.'
It would use $10 million of the funds the state saved up from shutting down the old group homes to create at least 40 group home beds.
Some say that funding has successfully paid for community alternatives in some areas.
'That money really is specifically supposed to be used for evidence-based community alternatives to detention,' said Mike Fonkert with Kansas Appleseed. 'My understanding is what they're kind of proposing here is not evidence-based.'
Bennett and Howell say the way the money is currently being used hasn't been effective.
'I know this: If we don't do something and then the years pass, there will be no such options,' said Fonkert.
He says he could get behind the bill if there were more parameters, like a limit on the number of group home beds that could be created.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump plays to MAGA base with return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia: Cuomo
(NewsNation) — The Trump administration's about-face in returning Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia to face charges of human trafficking in the U.S. is simply the latest strategy to get political mileage from the deportation saga, Chris Cuomo says. 'Trump wants this issue because it works for him,' he says. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
17 News' political analysts break down Trump and Musk feud
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Some Democrats are calling the online feud between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk a messy breakup…coining it, 'the Real Housewives of Pennsylvania Ave.' 17 News political analysts, Neel Sannappa and Cathy Abernathy, joined 17 News at 5 to discuss the jabber between Musk and Trump. Watch the full interview in the player above for the full 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Roughly 1,100 applications submitted by former federal workers amid Austin hiring campaign
AUSTIN (KXAN) — President Donald Trump's promise to cut federal workforce is starting to show in the latest jobs report from the U.S. Department of Labor, which indicated 22,000 fewer federal government jobs in the last month alone. In response to the president's letting go of some federal workforce, the city of Austin re-launched a recruitment effort its used in the past called the Get Hired campaign — this time aimed at those federal workers. 'We value public servants': Austin targeting federal staff let go by Trump administration The city said between March 21 and May 23, the duration of that campaign, the city received roughly 1,100 applications from former federal employees. Of those folks, 30 now work for the city, according to the city's human resource director, Susan Sinz. 'It is good to see that with that previous federal experience, how much we benefit from that….they understand customer service, I think they understand citizen engagement and they really understand how to be a servant leader and in our community that's what we're looking for,' Sinz said. On average, the city has 100 vacancies at any given time, though that includes everything — lifeguards, librarians, police officers — and those vacancies fluctuate greatly based on season. The city employs roughly 17,000 people, Sinz noted. Though that program targeting federal employees wrapped up late last month, Sinz hopes those folks will continue to keep their sights set on our city. 'We are excited to have them explore employment here at the city of Austin and really wish them a super long career here,' she said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
