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Vista Maria to close residential program, will repurpose campus and continue foster and community services
Summary
Vista Maria told Wayne County commissioners it will exit its residential program because of high acuity among residents and state licensing constraints; eight girls remain on campus and are scheduled to leave by Dec. 19, 2025. The agency said it will continue foster-care and other community programs and pursue repurposing of campus facilities.
Vista Maria informed the Wayne County commission that it will close its residential program but will continue operating other services, including foster care and community-based programs.
Kathy Regan, introduced to the commission as CEO of Vista Maria, said residential has become the organization's smallest program and that eight girls are currently on campus; she said the last residential youth will exit the campus by Dec. 19, 2025. Regan attributed the decision to the higher clinical acuity of many residents and to state licensing and regulatory requirements that, she said, constrained the agency's ability to provide appropriate care.
Regan said Vista Maria will remain open as an organization: it continues to operate foster-care services (about 100 children) and participates in the county's CMO system, which Regan said serves roughly 90 children in affiliated programs. She said the campus has 92 beds across five buildings and that the agency will seek ways to repurpose those facilities for other programs serving vulnerable populations.
Commissioner Killeen and others asked where children would be placed once residential beds close. Regan said placement decisions are made by Michigan's child-protective system and MDHHS and listed likely outcomes: placement with foster families (when successful), transfer to another residential provider, out-of-state placement, or, in the worst-case scenario, shelter placement. She and commissioners noted statewide closures of residential facilities since 2020 and a shortage of mental-health beds.
On funding, Regan said the residential program was funded by MDHHS; she described per-child payments that have grown over time and said earlier per-diem rates of roughly $250 a day have risen to about $1,200 a day without commensurate increases in staffing or clinical capacity. Commissioners and Regan discussed advocacy efforts, including testimony before a state legislative subcommittee, and urged sustained state-level action to expand capacity and adjust funding and licensing to reflect clinical needs.
Regan and commissioners welcomed community advocates in the room and said Vista Maria would return with follow-up updates, including plans for repurposing the campus. The commission did not take any formal vote specific to Vista Maria's announcement at this meeting; commissioners encouraged the county and state elected officials to press the issue with gubernatorial candidates and legislative leaders.
Ending: Vista Maria will transition out of residential care by Dec. 19, and the commission and staff said they expect updates on placements and potential repurposing plans in future meetings.
