GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) – We now know at least two public officials who will attend a meeting Tuesday at the former American Hebrew Academy to discuss the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' plan to house separated immigrant children on that property.
Skip Alston, the chair of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, and Nancy Hoffmann, the representative on the Greensboro City Council for District 4, where that property is located, both told WGHP that they would be attending the meeting, which appears to be invitation only, at 1:30 p.m. at what is now called the Greensboro Piedmont Influx Care Facility.
WGHP had reported on Friday that two meetings had been scheduled following the announcement in early June by AHA’s board that it had entered into a 5-year contract — with an option for 5 more years — with DHHS to provide a transitional campus for immigrant children awaiting reunification with family members or others in the U.S.
The property at 4334 Hobbs Road is 100 gated acres that include 31 buildings of 412,712 square feet, an $18 million athletic center and natatorium, a variety of athletic fields and a 22-acre lake. The facility would be used to provide housing, classrooms and recreational facilities for children who are unaccompanied or who are waiting for family members and sponsors.
William Scarborough, who has been overseeing the AHA property for the board, confirmed to WGHP that there would be meetings but referred all other questions to HHS. “It is an HHS presentation,” he said. HHS has not responded to emails with questions about the meetings.
As of Saturday work crews had replaced the signs outside the facility, and the name American Hebrew Academy no longer is attached to the stone abutment. Now the address of 4334 Hobbs Road is there.
No opening date has been announced, and the numbers and other data about the children have not been released by HHS. A fact sheet talks about HHS's usage of similar facilities across the country under its Unaccompanied Children Program.
It is uncertain whether DHHHS is planning meetings that would involve residents or the general public, but area residents are expressing concern about the impact and security of the facility and how its presence might affect the value of homes in an upscale neighborhood.
Hoffmann, asked by WGHP whether she had fielded complaints from homeowners, said, "Yes, I have spoken with some citizens who live in District 4 regarding the leasing of the American Hebrew Academy campus by DHHS."
Neither the county's commissioners nor the City Council has any voice on this contract. AHA is a nonprofit that is overseen by a board of directors, with Scarborough as its contact. AHA's contract with DHHS was privately executed, and Mayor Nancy Vaughan had said during the announcement that it would not require support from city departments.
But homeowners in the area want answers and are seeking a forum with DHHS officials. One of them, Mark Hobson, told WGHP that there was a meeting of an area homeowners association on Sunday night and that "many were furious." Hobson said he has spoken with Vaughan and Hoffmann.
He also submitted a list of 10 questions that homeowners would like to have answered by officials, including the numbers of children, how those numbers might affect zoning laws (and property values), whether the children would be restricted to the facility grounds, what elements of security will be in place and the demographics of the group.
Julie Smith, a spokesperson for Guilford County, told WGHP earlier this month that she had talked to County Manager Michael Halford and that “he hasn’t had any direct calls from constituents about the site – good or bad. … Since it’s all federally run, our knowledge is fairly limited here in the County Manager’s Office.”
Vaughan, who did not respond to questions about Tuesday's meeting, said earlier this month that she had “gotten a few calls. By and large, the support has been very strong.”
About the facility
The ORR operates about 200 facilities in 22 states and has done so since 2002’s Homeland Security Act. In Fiscal Year 2021 the program handled 122,731 children, its information sheet says.
HHS says the children stay for a few months and receive educational, physical, mental and recreational services. The facility in Greensboro is hiring about 800 people for a variety of positions.
ORR says that in Fiscal Year 2021 about 7 out of 10 children at its facilities were 14 or older, and two-thirds were boys. About half of them were from Guatemala and about a third from Honduras. The rest were from El Salvador and other countries.
U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-Concord), who represents the 9th Congressional District, sent a letter two weeks ago to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and Office of Refugee Resettlement Acting Director Andrea Chapman to ask about the plan, which emerged as a possibility in May 2021. His letter was cosigned by Ted Budd (R-Advance), of the nearby 13th District, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-Banner Elk) of the 5th District and the five other Republicans serving North Carolina in Congress.
Neither Budd nor Rep. Kathy Manning (D-Greensboro), whose 6th District includes the facility, has commented on Hudson’s letter, but a spokesperson for Hudson had said he heard about the plan from a constituent.
0 Comments