In the Matter of R.T.
Nevada Supreme Court
396 P.3d 802 (2017)
The Washoe County Department of Social Services (plaintiff) took custody of Jacqueline G.'s (defendant's) four children after reports that she lacked stable housing. Over nearly three years Jacqueline cycled through about fifteen apartments, shelters, and motels while the department gave her a case plan, counseling referrals, money for housing and childcare, and job-search help. Jacqueline nonetheless quit multiple jobs, failed to pursue available financial assistance or a housing voucher into an actual apartment, and missed therapy, leading the trial court to find only token efforts and terminate her parental rights as in the children's best interests; she appealed, arguing poverty alone should not support termination.
Whether failure to provide adequate care for a child despite financial and physical ability to do so warrants terminating parental rights, even though poverty alone does not.