West Virginia Reopens Barboursville School as Children's Residential Treatment Site for 36; Foster Youth Survivor Benefits Preserved From 2027
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey announced in Barboursville, Cabell County, on November 12 that the state has signed a five-year lease with Youth Health Associates to reopen the former Barboursville School, which served children for nearly 40 years, as a residential treatment facility and a statewide model for his A Home for Every Child initiative.
At full capacity the facility will accommodate up to 36 children and create approximately 50 to 60 jobs, with admissions expected to begin in early 2027 and most beds filled by the end of March. The governor's office said the number of West Virginia children placed in out-of-state residential treatment has fallen from about 400 at the start of the year to 372 in early November, and the new facility will help more children receive care in-state.
Morrisey also announced that beginning January 1, 2027, West Virginia will end its longstanding practice of applying Social Security survivor benefits belonging to children in foster care toward the state's foster care costs. About 42 foster children currently receive roughly $402,700 a year in such benefits, which will instead be preserved for the children themselves. (Source: Office of the Governor of West Virginia)
Source: Office of the Governor of West Virginia
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：Wikimedia Commons「The West Virginia State Capitol Building in Charleston, WV.jpg」（O Palsson 摄，CC BY 2.0），图中为西弗吉尼亚州议会大厦 Image: Wikimedia Commons "The West Virginia State Capitol Building in Charleston, WV.jpg" (by O Palsson, CC BY 2.0)
