Kids play on a basketball court at the Southwest Key facility in Tucson, July 7, 2018
The Department of Justice says that from 2015 through at least the end of 2023, Southwest Key received complaints concerning the sexual abuse and harassment of children at the majority of its facilities but failed to take appropriate action to protect them.
The Texas-based nonprofit is contracted by the federal government and operates 29 shelters in Arizona, Texas, and California that can accommodate more than 6,000 children.
The lawsuit says in July 2021 a 15-year-old staying at the Southwest Key facility, Casa Estrella in Tucson, reported a male staff member entered his room numerous times without knocking and touched the child inappropriately.
The children in the case range in age from 5 to 17.
The government says the organization's actions violate the Fair Housing Act and is asking the court to award monetary damages to the children who were abused.
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