Maryland seeks a better place than hotels for foster youth

Kanaiyah Ward,16 died of suicide after struggling with her mental health for years. (Courtesy of the Ward family) Jacob Doriety, a foster youth in Oregon spent much of his life in foster care, going through more than 50 placements, he was sent to live in a hotel. He died by suicide at age 17.

PUBLISHED: October 24, 2025 at 10:45 AM EDT | UPDATED: October 25, 2025 at 7:34 AM EDT

“It’s a systemic problem. It’s a systemic failure,” said Robert Basler, an associate vice-president of Arrow Child & Family Ministries, which provides foster care services in Maryland and Texas. “You don’t have enough resources. There are not enough, or we wouldn’t be in this place.”