GREENSBORO, N.C. — Editor's Note: The video above is from 2019, when the American Hebrew Academy announced its closing.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services is looking at the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro as a possible emergency influx shelter for migrant children, according to an email from federal officials.
DHHS said while the Office of Refugee Resettlement has worked to build up the number of licensed beds it has, additional capacity is 'critical' to provide a safe place for children to be released from border patrol stations, according to the email.
Officials said they planned on looking at the American Hebrew Academy on Tuesday, May 4 for potential use as a "temporary influx care facility" for unaccompanied children at some point in the future.
"If selected, the American Hebrew Academy would remain unoccupied but available for use to ensure that children are not kept in border patrol stations for longer than 72 hours," the email said.
Guilford County Commissioner Skip Alston said if the site is used as a temporary shelter, it could bring as many as 800 jobs to the area to provide around-the-clock care for 700 to 800 children.
Alston said the jobs would range from cafeteria staff to nurses to lawyers.
DHHS said it plans to make a decision soon about the possibility of using the American Hebrew Academy as a shelter for children.
DHHS said it's working to use all available avenues to safely care for migrant children, including implementing CDC COVID-19 mitigation strategies, reducing the time it takes to unite children with sponsors, using 'influx care facilities' with the same standards of its permanent facilities, and establishing emergency sites to decrease over-crowding in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities.
Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan said she's open to the possibility of the move, adding it's not every day that 800 jobs could come to the area without incentives.
“If the American Hebrew Academy site is selected, the US Department of Health and Human Services would partner with local non-profits to provide a range of services. In addition, the partnership could potentially bring as many as 800 jobs to the area including food services, clinicians, teachers, and more," Vaughan said.
In response to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) site assessment of the American Hebrew Academy facility at 4334 Hobbs Rd., the City of Greensboro has issued the following statement:
“On Tuesday, May 4, both City and County officials met with representatives from the US Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a site assessment of the American Hebrew Academy facility at 4334 Hobbs Rd. The facility is one of several sites across the country identified as unused property for potential use as a temporary influx housing for unaccompanied children.
It is important to know that this was not solicited by either the City or County governments, but it is a federal program looking at this property. If selected, this will not be part of the Guilford County School system or social services. This will also come without incentives or any cost to the City or County. The US DHHS will solely make the decision what facilities it selects across the country.
The priority of the US DHHS is to ensure unaccompanied migrant children are safe, healthy, and unified with family members or other suitable sponsors as quickly and safely as possible. The US DHHS is responsible for temporary care of the unaccompanied children referred to its Office of Refugee Resettlement.
The Federal Government would provide on-site security and medical needs, independent of City and County resources."
WFMY News 2 spoke with neighbors in the area about the possible move. A majority of people we spoke with said they had no problem with it. Others who live in the area said they needed more information before commenting.
Neighbor Janice Kivett said she's in favor of the possibility.
"We definitely need to help these children," she said, "We need to give them a safe place where they can be comfortable and well cared for during an awful time in their lives."
US DHHS has provided a fact sheet for additional information on the program: Fact Sheet
No future date has been set for a meeting between the federal government, county and city leaders.