KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A young man with severe autism must stay in the custody of Missouri’s child welfare agency, despite soon turning 21, a judge ruled Friday.
Jackson County Judge Kea Bird-Riley also ordered that he remain in his current placement in a group home with the services he now receives, the Kansas City Star reported.
The young man, who is not identified in court documents, turns 21 on Sunday and can’t feed or care for himself.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking an injunction to keep the state from dropping the young man from services. In that suit, the ACLU said the young man was in imminent danger and could die if he were released from care and ended up on the streets.
The lawsuit says that for the past four years, he has been living in a group home in Independence, licensed by the Missouri Department of Mental Health. Advocates say he is doing well there.
His mother lives in a homeless shelter in Kansas City and is unable to care for him. The mother, who lost custody of him after allegations of abuse or neglect, was present for Friday’s virtual hearing in family court.
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