Our Demands

1. Close all pre-placement congregate settings like group shelters and residential pre-placement centers because they are not  therapeutic and unjustly warehouse children and youth.

2. Prohibit placements of children 13 years old and younger in congregate facilities, including QRTPs to ensure our youngest children are never left to survive in these harmful settings.  

3. Limit “voluntary” placements by requiring active efforts to support family care, such as providing financial assistance, access to civil legal services, and utilizing family mediation or community supports before family separation.

4. Redirect funds saved from reducing congregate settings to community-based, family strengthening supports. Use a reinvestment model similar to New York’s Supervision and Treatment Services for Juveniles Program, ensuring funds support long-term community care.