The number of Tennessee children in state custody sleeping in Department of Children’s Services offices skyrocketed in 2025, data obtained by The Tennessean shows. A total of 445 kids spent at least one night in a DCS office while they awaited placement last year, marking a 400% increase from 89 children in 2024.
The spike is driven in part by an influx of youth with high-acuity needs in state care, according to DCS spokesperson Ashley Zarach. She said the closure of several of the state’s transitional homes, which provide temporary placements, since October 2024 also contributed to the issue. Other homes temporarily paused operations for remodeling or other reasons during that time.
“Any reduction in available transitional home capacity can have an immediate impact, and in those situations keeping a youth in an office setting may become the only short-term option while staff work to secure a safe placement,” Zarach said in a Jan. 14 email…