Guilford County and City of Greensboro officials confirmed today that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has signed a lease with the American Hebrew Academy to serve as influx care site and resettlement processing facility for unaccompanied refugee children.
In May of 2021, County and City leaders were contacted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regarding possible consideration of the AHA site as a self-contained facility for the safe processing of unaccompanied minors referred by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
The federal HHS department is responsible for the temporary care of unaccompanied children referred by immigration officials to their Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). ORR is currently tasked with building up its standard bed capacity and currently funds more standard beds than at any time in the program’s history. Additional capacity is critical in order to continue to provide a safe place for children to be released from border patrol stations.
Guilford County Board of Commissioners’ Chairman Skip Alston stated, “The American Hebrew Academy site has been vacant for several years and was designed to be a self-contained campus for children. I’m glad to see HSS putting this vacant site to good use. It is important to remember we are talking about a transition site for children. The facility is not a permanent home for unaccompanied minors. ORR is legally required to provide for the care and custody of all unaccompanied children (UC) referred by DHS to ORR until they are appropriately and safely placed with a vetted sponsor. I can only imagine how emotionally and mentally difficult it must be to be a child in a new country, with a new language, to be all alone and separated from the comfort and support of the people you know who love and care about you.”
He added, “All children should feel safe and supported with access to proper care and resources. It makes sense this site would be a good option for the Federal Government, so we were not surprised by the announcement today. As a welcoming city, Greensboro is a part of Guilford County; and we also want to be a welcoming community for children in need. We stand with our immigrant communities and have a lot of existing resources available to support this endeavor.”
The housing facility is expected to bring up to 800 new jobs ranging from educators, interpreters, grounds keepers, nutrition services providers, social workers, child caseworkers, etc. to provide support for children under assessment for reunification with their parents, guardians, relatives, or sponsors currently living in the United States.
Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan said, “We were recently notified by the American Hebrew Academy that it will lease its Hobbs Road facility to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which will support unaccompanied minors from the southern border. It is a great opportunity for Greensboro to show our commitment to being a welcoming city.”
She added, “This is a unique opportunity for the American Hebrew Academy to continue using its facility for the purpose of educating children and preparing them for their future. The facility will serve a great purpose while helping to place children with a family member or other vetted sponsor. It is important to know that this will not be a drain on any local public resources. These children will not be in the Guilford County School system. The facility will provide its own security. This will be a fully self- contained facility.
“This will also have a significant impact on the local economy. The new positions needed to support the federal program will be hired to provide services at the facility. And this comes without any incentives from the City. Hiring is currently underway and they are in particular need for Spanish-speaking professionals.
The Federal Government will provide all services needed to support the children. There are approximately 200 similar state licensed facilities and programs in 22 states funded by the ORR for the care and custody of unaccompanied minors.
Previously designed to be an international boarding school for children, the American Hebrew Academy can easily transition into a self-contained youth village and provide a safe and secure transition point for unaccompanied minors placed into the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Selection criteria include sites that can provide basic standards of care to ensure the child’s physical safety, access to legal services information, and access to clinical services during the emergency intake process.
Please access the following link to the HHS fact sheet for additional information on the program- https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/uac-program-fact-sheet.pdf.
Original source can be found here.
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