Maryland Ends Hotel Placements for Foster Minors After Teen Suicide

The Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) has announced it will end the practice of housing minors in foster care in hotels, following the suicide of 16-year-old Kanaiyah Ward, who was in DHS custody at a Baltimore hotel at the time of her death. The department issued new guidance mandating that all minors currently staying in hotels be moved to placements appropriate to their needs by November 24, 2025, with the number of such placements having already decreased from 41 in January 2023 to six as of late October. DHS emphasized its commitment to ensuring that every child is safe and thriving in a permanent, loving home, and has taken administrative actions including contracting with residential care providers and seeking proposals for statewide one-on-one support services. While the policy change has been welcomed as a positive step, some lawmakers have raised concerns about the alternatives for these children, questioning whether they will be placed in treatment foster care or potentially more precarious environments like homeless shelters. The directive outlines a hierarchy for placements prioritizing family connections, licensed placements, and trial home visits over unlicensed settings like hotels, which are deemed inconsistent with state and federal laws and departmental policies. The department continues to investigate circumstances around Ward's death and has suspended future work with the contractor providing one-to-one aides at the hotel.