Families Vs DHR
The Machine
The Cost Is Too Great: Alabama’s Silent Crisis Inside the DHR System
There is a quiet kind of breaking that happens when a child is taken from home. It does not make headlines or courtroom transcripts, but it leaves echoes in every room that family once...
Sunday Spotlight
Sunday Spotlight | After the Storm: What Alabama DHR Still Refuses to Learn
It has been months since Alabama DHR came under fire following the death of three-year-old KJ Starks, who died in a hot van while under the state’s care. Since then, there have been statements,...
The Machine
Leslie Kelly: The Director Behind Houston County DHR’s Culture of Chaos
By Families vs DHR Staff
Published September 2025
For nearly three decades, Leslie Kelly has been embedded in the child welfare system. According to an article in the Dothan Eagle, she has held multiple positions within...
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A Mother’s Story: Teenager Pregnant Under Houston County DHR’s Watch
By Families vs DHR StaffPublished September 2025
Dear Families vs. Houston County DHR,
I never thought disciplining my child would mean losing her to a system more dangerous than the streets. My soul is broken.
The Houston...
The Machine
Placed to Be Protected, Left to Be Tortured: The Columbia County “House of Horrors”
Nine children were supposed to be safe. Instead, they were delivered straight into a nightmare.
Authorities in Columbia County, Florida, say nine children were rescued from what deputies described as a “house of horrors,” where...
The Machine
Not a Van, a Nissan Maxima: The Lies and Failures Behind the Death of 3-Year-Old KJ Starkes
The family of 3-year-old Ke’Torrius “KJ” Starkes has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR), Covenant Services, and transport worker Kela Stanford. What is being revealed now is...
The Machine
DHR Confirmed Abuse. A Child’s Arm Was Broken. These DHR Workers Let the Daycare Walk Free.
This is our second report concerning a beautiful little girl whose arm was broken while at a daycare in Dothan, Alabama.
Three-year-old Xylah, a nonverbal autistic child whose well-being was entrusted to the staff at...
Know Your Rights
The “Take These Services” Trap: How DHR Turns Promises Into Termination
Across Alabama, parents are told the same thing by the Department of Human Resources: “Take these services, and you’ll get your children back.” It is said as if it is a guarantee, a roadmap...