Historic Clayborn Temple: Saving history from becoming history – one stone at a time (Copy)

Cierra Jordan - FOX 13 Memphis

May 4, 2023

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - No more children sleeping on office floors.

That's the commitment from Tennessee leaders after months of controversy about the state's overburden Department of Children's Services.

Gov. Bill Lee came to Memphis on Wednesday in part to visit the new transitional housing DCS will provide for foster kids until they find a new place to call home.

“Our youth are our future," said Bishop Brandon Porter of Church of God in Christ (COGIC). "What about the children? If we don’t care, then we don’t care about tomorrow.”

A new temporary home for children is now underway.

COGIC has partnered with the DCS to provide transitional housing for children in foster care.

“That transition time between when they are taken into custody and placed into a home, that transition time is the hardest time for DCS,” Lee said.

From sleeping on the floors at the DCS offices to having a more secured place to eat, Bishop Porter said the church is providing three transitional housing units that have bunk beds, showers, washers and dryers and everything the kids need to feel like home.

“One had bunk beds in it, but they were like three bunk beds, you know? I've never seen a three-bunk bed, only two. So it was just very, very new, brand new living facilities with kitchen living room bedrooms,” said Bishop Porter.

According to the state's Comptroller of the Treasury office, an investigation found one child in DCS custody slept in an office for 24 nights between April-July 2022.

Bishop Porter said now kids will get care packages once they leave for a new home.

“They need arms, legs, hands to get it done," he said. "Thank God for the faith community that we can join with our state and government to take these concussions for our young people. It is so necessary.”

DCS said each child will be supervised by a caseworker.

What are the next steps?

DCS said it will start bringing kids to these apartments until they find permanent home.