Why didn't Joyce take Faith in?

As Faith's Watcher, even temporarily, it certainly SHOULD have been Giles' responsibility to provide shelter and living expenses for Faith, and it might very well be that Giles simply didn't think that it would be "proper" for a single man of his age to share his own living quarters with a teenaged girl. If that truly was the case, then he would have been likely to have simply provided Faith with an allowance and let her take care of herself, with the condition that she check in with him daily. Even if that were the case, however, it would have been highly irresponsible of him to simply take Faith's word, assuming that he even bothered to ask at all, that her living quarters were adequate and in a relatively decent location.
 
Giles would have an additional responsibility to ensure no one knew who Faith was. He was spectacularly unsuccessful in trying to keep Buffy's vocation secret and this caused all kinds of problems - everyone knew she was the slayer, starting when Xander overheard him in the library on her first day. Forcing your field operative to check in daily is more of a risk than he should take. The no-tell motel was actually not a bad idea - no surveillance and nothing calling attention to his charge.

Getting back to Joyce, she had no idea what Faith was like or whether she would steal the silverware and run off. Buffy had her own misgivings when Faith was getting more familiar with her French fries as well as regaling Joyce with stories of kills and Joyce had no reason to override Buffy's opinion. Finances were tight in the Summers household as we see with the prom dress being the only frivolous purchase and adding another mouth to feed was not in the budget. And Buffy was getting jealous of Faith's rapport with Joyce.

In cases like Kendra, it appeared that the watcher provided food and lodging since Kendra only had a dim memory of her parents. Kendra was a studious type who could absorb the Slayers' Handbook whereas Giles never even told Buffy of its existence.

When Nikki was killed, the watcher took in her son, Robin.

But the story line would bog down entirely if you had to go into the mechanics of how everyone was funded. We get the idea elsewhere in the story but only when it serves either the characterization or the plot. I think we are intended to get the idea that Faith was on her own and alone or her "adoption" by the mayor would have raised flags immediately. If the mayor provided a nice apartment plus the motel for appearances sake, her turn to the dark side could be hidden. Good financial forensics could have caught this although the mayor simply could have let the motel bill go to whomever was paying it before. If Joyce had taken Faith in, this plot line would not have been viable.
 
I think if Joyce had known how bad Faith's situation was, she would have offered to take her in. But knowing Faith's character, I doubt she would have taken her up on the offer. Faith was used to being on her own, and making her own rules. I don't think she would have wanted to be held down by the rules of anyone else's house.
 
Because poor Joyce was a single mother already taking care of 2 children and all the rooms were taken? Because it's not Joyce's responsibility but Giles'/Wesley's and the Council? Because they wanted to play up the class difference? Because it adds to the lone slayer vs support system slayer that Season?

Probably all of those I'd say...
 
While it's not Joyce's responsibility to take Faith in, I think as an adult she should be more concerned and should have brought it up with Giles at least. He as her temporary watcher should have been providing her some financial assistance. For all we know he did offer Faith a place to stay and she turned him down. She seems like she likes living on her own. And Joyce knew that Faith was living in the motel she call it a "Dingy" motel in 'Amends'. Which I thought was sweet of her to invite Faith to Christmas Eve.
 
But it's still first and foremost the responsibility of the Council and Faith's respective watcher. Whether or not Faith would actually accept anything in terms of help is another matter entirely.
 
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