UCHRA Facility For Boys At Risk Because Of COVID

The Youth Impact Center at Crossville’s Cumberland Mountain School could be a casualty of COVID-19.

UCHRA Executive Director Mark Farley said the lack of courtroom activity right now is the reason.

“With court systems not working, we’re not getting youth assigned to us,” Farley said. “If we’re down too low, we really can’t justify keeping staff on. The one in Cumberland County may be a casualty of everything going on. We’re going to try to keep it going, but that’s one we’re looking at.”

UCHRA operates three youth homes to assist troubled youth. The Chance Residential Center serves girls in Putnam County. Indian Mound Farm in Dekalb County serves boys as does the Crossville facility. The centers help young people with social, behavioral, or emotional disorders, substance abuse problems or other issues.

Cumberland Mountain School dates back to 1919 when it served the educational needs of youth. The original school closed in 1938. UCHRA opened the 25-acre facility in 2009 to help young people. Farley said because of the maintenance involved with the facility, closing the center and reopening it later might be cost-prohibitive.

“The problem being, once we close that thing down, it’s probably closed down permanently,” Farley said. “It’s going to be hard to maintain it in the state it’s in.”

Some 175 students are served annually.

“We’re at the point we’ve got to make a decision,” Farley said.