(Courtesy of Childhelp)

The new children's placement center in Phoenix has about 30 beds for children 10 and under. The spot gives youngsters who had to be taken from their home a place to stay before a foster family is found.

(Courtesy of Childhelp)

The facility is a Childhelp and the Arizona Department of Child Safety's co-creation, and will be open for the next nine months. After that, the donated lease ends, and a new spot for children in limbo will have to be found.

A new center for children removed from their home by the state opened in Phoenix Monday. The 30-bed building is meant to be a temporary sanctuary for children 10 and under until they can be placed foster care. 

In the past, if there wasn’t an immediately available foster parent, youngsters would often sleep in offices at the Arizona Department of Child Safety. Now, they’ll be in a facility with toys and beds, as well as DCS employees and volunteers. The facility came about through a partnership between DCS and the nonprofit Childhelp. But it’s only a temporary fix. DCS spokesman Doug Nick said the building was donated and the lease only lasts 9 months.

"We’re not going to just sit here and wait for that timeline to come along," he said. "We’re actively looking today and every day until we find a potential solution that’s more permanent, but in the meantime, this gives us a bit of breathing space. It’s helpful for kids that are in a concern now."

But it's not helpful to children 11 and older. Ideally, Nick said, DCS will find a facility that can house children of all ages.