Some foster kids in Philadelphia sleep at DHS office while awaiting placement, investigation reveals

Up to 10 children have been sleeping in the Philadelphia Department of Human Services building at 1515 Arch St . in Center City while they wait to be placed in a foster home. A 16-year-old boy walking around near the DHS office Tuesday morning said he's been sleeping in the building. He said currently, there are about eight kids staying there, including a 5-year-old. According to the teen, they all have beds in a large room. Later in the day, a DHS employee dropped a young boy off for the night. The child was staying there until he gets placed in a foster home. "This sounds to me like maybe you've got a department that's understaffed and underpaid, but it should not get to the point where children are sleeping wherever they're sleeping in these offices," Marci Hamilton, a child welfare expert and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said. According to a federal audit published in July, more than 9,000 children in foster care nationwide had to temporarily stay in hotels, office buildings and other settings when states couldn't find suitable places over an 18-month period. Councilwoman Jamie Gauthier is on the Committee on Children and Youth, which will now hold hearings to examine the city's child welfare system in light of the death of 10-year-old Malayshia Alford. Malayshia's foster mother, Carprice Williams , is charged with killing her. Gauthier said she's heard before that foster kids stay at the DHS building. "I believe that's some sort of emergency measure, but to me, it just brings into highlight how much of a crisis we have not only with our child-serving systems and making sure they're equipped to serve our children well, but with housing in this city," Gauthier said. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner also said Thursday his office is launching a separate investigation into what led to Malayshia's death , including foster care placement procedures. CBS News Philadelphia asked the city and the state Department of Human Services why children sleep at the building and how long they stay there. The city has not answered our questions. A spokesperson with the state said they are still trying to gather information about the current situation, but in the past, children have been allowed to stay in the office on a case-by-case basis. In: Pennsylvania Foster Care Philadelphia Featured Local Savings