Barboursville School to Reopen as a Residential Treatment Facility for Children, Morrisey Announces

Governor Patrick Morrisey announced on Thursday that the former Barboursville School will reopen in early 2027 as a residential treatment facility for children in state custody.

The move marks a significant shift in West Virginia’s approach to managing foster care, aiming to reduce the state’s reliance on out-of-state facilities for youth with complex mental health needs.

The state has entered a five-year lease with Youth Health Associates, a Utah-based organization, to operate the facility, which had been shuttered since February. The school, located in Cabell County, is expected to support up to 36 children and create between 50 and 60 jobs.

According to the governor’s office, the facility will begin accepting children in early 2027, with officials projecting that most of the beds will be occupied by the end of March.

“Bringing our children home has been one of my highest priorities since taking office. For too long, our kids were sent hundreds or even thousands of miles away to receive the care they need,” Morrisey said in a news release.

The decision to utilize the Barboursville campus comes as the state struggles to find sufficient in-state options for children requiring specialized behavioral care. For years, the lack of local capacity has forced the state to place children in facilities outside of West Virginia or, in some cases, in temporary hotel rooms.

As of early November, the state was sending 372 children to out-of-state facilities, a decrease from the 400 reported earlier this year, according to the governor’s office.

A Shift in Financial Policy for Foster Youth

Beyond the physical reopening of the school, the governor announced a major change to how the state handles the finances of children in its care. Beginning January 1, 2027, West Virginia will end the practice of using Social Security survivor benefits belonging to foster children to offset state foster care costs.

“When a child loses a parent, the benefits they receive should help provide a foundation for their future,” Governor Patrick Morrisey said. Approximately 42 children in the state’s foster system currently receive these benefits, which total roughly $402,700 annually.

Barboursville School to Reopen as a Residential Treatment Facility for Children, Morrisey Announces — Photo: wsaz.com

The Partnership with Youth Health Associates

The selection of Youth Health Associates to manage the facility follows a period of recruitment and site evaluation. Mace Warren, the senior director of clinical services at Youth Health Associates, said that the organization has experience working with difficult-to-place youth across 22 states. During a press conference, Warren said that the company’s relationship with West Virginia began through a specific referral for a child who had no other local options.

However, the project has faced local pushback. Barboursville Mayor Chris Tatum expressed reservations about the facility’s location, which sits within a municipal park. In a statement provided to WSAZ, Mayor Tatum said that he had previously proposed an alternative vision for the property that the state ultimately disregarded, citing his concerns about the state’s plan.

When questioned about the nature of the treatment at the facility, Governor Morrisey emphasized that the center would address a wide range of complex medical and behavioral needs. While Youth Health Associates’ website mentions specialized treatment for high-risk male youth involved in sexual misconduct, the governor stated the facility is intended to serve a broad spectrum of complex cases, positioning it as a model for future initiatives across all 55 counties.

The Broader Context of Foster Care Reform

The reopening of the Barboursville site is part of the governor’s broader “A Home for Every Child” initiative. Data from the state indicates that as of July 1, there were 5,719 children in West Virginia foster care, the lowest count since 2016.

While officials hope this facility will help maintain that downward trend, the state continues to face the logistical challenge of building a provider network strong enough to handle high-acuity cases domestically.

Governor Morrisey Announces Barboursville Reopening as Model to Bring West Virginia Children Home — Governor Patrick Morrisey

Whether the Barboursville facility can effectively serve as a blueprint for statewide reform remains an open question. The administration has signaled that more announcements regarding additional facilities are expected in the coming months, yet the tension between state-led initiatives and local municipal concerns highlights the complexities involved in placing residential treatment centers within existing communities.

For now, the focus remains on the aggressive timeline for the facility’s 2027 opening and the impact it will have on the hundreds of children currently placed outside the state.