PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Child Safety has decided not to renew its contract with We Care Homes following serious allegations regarding the treatment of foster children at several of its facilities in Phoenix.
This decision comes a day after concerns were reported by the ABC15 Investigators about the living conditions and care received by the children.
Related: Arizona Foster Group Home Provider is Ordered to Stop Work after complaints
DCS issued a letter to We Care Homes on Thursday. It stated the agency issued a stop-work order on May 8, due to significant concerns over contract non-compliance.
According to the letter, We Care Homes submitted a corrective action plan aimed at remedying the issues, but DCS officials found it unsatisfactory and the proposed timeline insufficient.
DCS officials went on to say they would not renew the company’s contract given the serious issues at hand. Currently, no children live in the homes, and the company’s current contract expires May 31.
We Care Homes operated four facilities in Phoenix, which were caring for 18 children in all at the beginning of May.
Concerns raised by whistleblowers and DCS complaints included allegations that children were denied food, left unsupervised, and that staff had failed to ensure kids made their therapy appointments and arrived on time for school.
In response to the allegations, Veronica Johnson, CEO of We Care Homes, expressed her disagreement with some of the claims regarding the treatment of children.
She also sent ABC15 photos saying they reflect the current conditions in the homes.
We Care Homes also emailed ABC15 the following statement:
” Today, I speak not just as a provider of care but as a member of a family. A family that has opened its doors, hearts, and lives to young people who need more than just a place to stay, they need a place to heal.
For the past ten years, We Care Homes has stood in the gap for children and teens who have experienced trauma that most can’t begin to comprehend. We’ve worked tirelessly through holidays, through nights without sleep, through crises that don’t wait for business hours. We don’t just work in our homes, we live in them. These aren’t facilities. These are sacred spaces, created with care and intention, because healing requires more than structure. It requires presence. It requires consistency. It requires love.
Recently, our work has come under scrutiny.
Investigations and allegations have been made,by some outside sources with unsatisfactory encounters, some by former staff members who left under unfavorable circumstances. While every concern deserves to be heard and reflected upon, many of the allegations were either exaggerated, taken out of context, or found unsubstantiated by the appropriate regulatory bodies.
Like the Arizona Department of Child Safety, we take every report seriously. We conduct our due diligence, regardless of whether an allegation is validated or not. Because we have zero tolerance for misconduct whether it’s verified or merely raised. We believe that accountability and improvement are essential to this work.
Still, it’s important to set the record straight.
We have never left children to fend for themselves. There have been isolated incidents where a staff member quit without notice or failed to communicate a delay. In some cases, this led to late transportation or pickups but never neglect. We acted swiftly in every instance to ensure the safety and well-being of our youth.
We provide daily nutrition through a structured meal plan. We maintain receipts, follow state dietary guidelines, and monitor food inventory to the best of our abilities. Unfortunately, there have been incidents where trusted staff members violated that trust and stole groceries or supplies. When those situations occurred, nevertheless we took corrective action to monitor closely.
Is this work perfect? No. We operate in a field with high turnover and emotional labor. But when something falls through the cracks, we don’t ignore it, we fix it. Because these kids matter.
Our staff are doing more than maintaining a building; they’re maintaining a healing environment. And that means understanding that daily damage is not a failure; it’s part of the process. Of course, we must teach accountability and responsibility, but with the understanding that healing takes time, repetition, patience and yes, resilience from all of us.
This is why trauma-informed care must include trauma-informed expectations. It means preparing our facilities and our hearts for the wear and tear that comes not from neglect, but from the hard, courageous work of recovery.
To those who work in these homes: your persistence in the face of broken windows and broken rules is not in vain. You are holding the line while others learn how to hold themselves together. And to our supporters and funders: your investment is not in drywall or furniture, it’s in human potential.
If we can continue to see beyond the surface to look past the damage and see the human being trying desperately to rebuild—we will begin to understand that healing isn’t just beautiful. Sometimes, it’s loud. It’s chaotic. And yes, it breaks things. But it also rebuilds them stronger.
What’s most disheartening is that, after ten years of showing up through every emergency call, every celebrated birthday, every night sitting beside a child who couldn’t sleep, we are still too often overshadowed by the loudest voices in the room, voices that do not speak for the whole story.
Let me be clear: this is not a lucrative business. We don’t do this for profit. We do this because we believe in second chances. We believe in creating a stable, loving environment where youth can grow, learn, and reclaim their futures.
But that work deserves fair representation. It deserves support, not slander. And it deserves recognition—not for the sake of praise, but for the sake of truth.
To the public, to our partners, to the state don’t let misinformation become the narrative. Stand with the providers who continue to show up when others walk away. Stand with those who do the hard, quiet work behind closed doors because they believe every child deserves a safe place to call home.
We’re not just a program, we are a family. And no matter how hard it gets, we will continue to fight for our kids. But we shouldn’t have to do it in silence or in the shadows of misrepresentation.
Thank you for listening. And thank you to those who continue to believe in our mission.”
