NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Department of Children's Services said they received approval on Thursday to take the first steps on expanding their real estate and creating more capacity for children's needs.
They released a "Real Estate Strategic Plan" on Thursday that details the steps they would take to add more capacity to their facilities. In it, they said current facilities were designed and built for the needs of youth more than 30 years ago. Now, they said they are facing more behavioral, medically fragile and non-verbal needs.
They also said their bed capacity has not kept pace with their needs. An audit by the Tennessee Comptroller's Office in December 2022 found "crisis-level" staffing and placement shortages. Lawmakers also raised alarms about kids having to sleep on the floors in state offices during that time.
In the plan, DCS detailed 11 specific projects they would need to conduct to improve capacity and align their number of beds with their needs. They range from renovating some facilities in order to add beds, to building new facilities.
During the first phase of the plan, DCS said they will open a temporary assessment and intake facility in Middle Tennessee. They said it would house 48 dependent and neglected youth as they go through clinical and behavioral health evaluations. They said it would welcome 24 youth by the end of July, and it would serve an additional 24 by the end of the year.
Renovations at the Woodland Hills facility in Nashville would also add 72 juvenile justice youth beds. Design and planning for the improvements are set to begin immediately, DCS.
They said the 120-bed increase would cost around $19 million. They said over the coming months, DCS would start working on additional projects to further expand bed capacity.