UCHRA Back To Capacity In Youth Facilities

Three months of shutdowns affecting its youth residential facilities will leave UCHRA in the red to the tune of about $450,000.

The good news, according to Executive Director Mark Farley, youth are once again being served in the three facilities and the economics are turning around.

“Since the court systems opened back up, you know, we’ve we’ve had two good months,” Farley said. “We’re back in the black and making money. But that three months of losing that pipeline of young people coming in and it worked to the tune of about $450,000.

The facilities in Cumberland, Dekalb and Putnam County take young people who have gone through the court system or DCS. Farley said each youth only stays at the facility for a short period of time to work through issues. When the courts shutdown because of COVID, the pipeline of youth stopped.

“Most all are going through the court system and they’ll say, you’ve got them for X number of days,” Farley said. “And then as, say, one young man comes out and goes back to his home or wherever, we usually have another one lined up to come right in and fill that spot. Well, when the court system shut down, that that pipeline disappeared.”

Farley said the facilities are now back at capacity. He said the organization considered closing the facilities, but they would have lost their licensing had they closed, even temporarily.

UCHRA has reserves to cover the three months of losses. Farley said the return to assisting young people in the three centers will also help make up some of the deficit. He said the organization applied for CARES Act funding to make up some of the losses, but those requests were denied.

The three facilities include CHANCE for girls, Indian Mound Farm for boys, and Cumberland Mountain School.