A Cuyahoga County councilman is seeking answers as county officials move forward with a proposed multi-million dollar contract extension for a group home with a troubled past.
As one of 75 facilities under consideration by the county’s Department of Health and Human Services, Quality Care Residential Homes Inc., could see its contract extended through March 2026, potentially totaling $1.43 million. This comes despite the facility’s troubled history, including the tragic drowning of a 13-year-old boy in 2018. The child, Shaud Howell, was placed in the home through Cuyahoga County’s Division of Children and Family Services. Howell’s death occurred when a worker at the facility took him and two other teens to Edgewater Beach and left them unsupervised. Investigators later concluded that this negligence led to Howell’s drowning.
Despite the serious incident and the county’s decision to cease business with the group home in 2018, records show that Cuyahoga County resumed sending children to the facility in 2022. As of last fall, the county had paid Quality Care Residential Homes over $1.9 million. State inspection reports, however, indicate ongoing concerns, such as an incident in June 2024 when a staff member allegedly brandished a baton, threatening a teen.
The renewal of the contract has sparked outrage from Howell’s family. In November, his great aunt, Renise Burtz, expressed frustration, calling the situation a “slap in the face” and urging the county to reconsider its relationship with the home. “When do you go back and realize, ‘hey, I can see that y’all still can’t get it together,’” Burtz said, stressing the importance of protecting vulnerable children.
In response to growing public concern, County Councilman Martin J. Sweeney raised the issue during a meeting on Wednesday. Sweeney questioned the county’s head of Health and Human Services, David Merriman, about the decision to extend the contract. “When it’s reported in the public and people call me and say, ‘Sweeney, it looks like they’re getting a contract again,’ can you give us reassurance that the children in our care are being protected?” he asked.
Merriman acknowledged the concerns and assured Sweeney that the county had discussed the matter with state authorities. He also stated that the staff member involved in the baton incident no longer works at the facility. Despite these assurances, the ongoing controversy has left many questioning the county’s commitment to safeguarding the children under its care.
Merriman said, in a statement, “We take these matters very seriously. Both the county and the state have conducted investigations, and we will continue to closely monitor all homes, including this one.”
“And we have full faith and confidence they’re going to continue to provide good service for the children?”, pressed Sweeney. Merriman responded, confidently, “That’s our expectation.”
The Council’s Health and Human Services Committee did not reach a decision on the contract extension during Wednesday’s meeting. Committee members plan to revisit the matter in two weeks, expecting to make a decision.