GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — A major development could be on the horizon for the currently vacant former American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro.

U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning (D-Greensboro) disclosed to NewsNation affiliate WGHP that the unused Greensboro Influx Care Facility could be used for victims of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina.

“The federal government has a contract to use that influx care center,” Manning said. “It was a former boarding school, and it was to be used for unaccompanied minors, but thanks to the Biden administration’s new border policy, there’s been a drop in the number of unaccompanied minors coming here. That facility has not been used and it’s sitting and available, but it’s going to a variety of steps to make sure the facility can be used for people whose lives have been turned upside down, whose homes are no longer habitable because of Hurricane Helene.”

Manning says the federal government is currently reviewing its contract for that property to verify if the facility could be repurposed for storm victims or to see if that contract could be modified.

Other issues that still need to be figured out include determining who would bear the cost of running the facility and working with the Home Owner’s Association for the surrounding neighborhood.

Manning described the process as being “underway,” and the Department of Health and Human Services has been working on this “for several days now.”

The DHHS provided the following statement, “HHS will do all that we can to help support families impacted by Hurricane Helene. We are working closely with state and local health authorities, as well as with our partners across the federal government, to provide public health and medical support. We are currently working with officials to provide additional resources, within our legal authority. HHS will continue to use every lever we can to help families impacted.”

There was a bit of pushback in the past from residents when the facility was supposed to be used as a transitional facility for migrant children.

Many residents shared on and off camera that they think the unused facility would be great for housing western North Carolinians in need.

“Everybody’s always worried about the community and who’s coming into the community … A situation like this, I think people are extremely understanding and aware … It would probably be something more than just a housing option for the community. I think this area would chip in and do other stuff as well to make sure they fit in and felt comfortable,” said Fred Lewis, a resident.

Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan said she’s on board.

“We don’t really have a role in this except that we came up with the idea of let’s use it as a storm center … The government is really involved or the federal government working with their subcontractor and things like that. As far as what I think the City of Greensboro would do for these individuals, I think they would see an outpouring of support like they’ve never seen before,” Vaughan said.

Other city leaders are also on board.

“I think she is exactly right in exploring the opportunity for the Greensboro area to try to assist our fellow North Carolinians in need,” Greensboro City Councilmember At-Large Hugh Holston said.

If families were to stay there, the kids would need access to education.

Guilford County Schools says it would assist if families want to enroll their students. They have already started to share information with principals about the process. Typical paperwork needed for enrollment won’t be required.

Background

In June 2022, plans became official to transform the former American Hebrew Academy property, which closed in 2019, into a transitional facility for immigrant children under the management of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The site, now known as Greensboro Influx Care Facility, was planned to house unaccompanied immigrant children temporarily — about two or three weeks — while family members and sponsors were located. The facility was intended for children ages 13 through 17 and has a capacity of up to 800 beds.

The Greensboro ICF was designated operational starting March 15 but had its operational status changed on June 28 when the DHHS announced that operations were being “ramped down.” No children have been housed in the facility at any point, and the June status change led to a decrease in staffing.

“It will continue to have no children in care but must be ready to resume operations and accept children eight weeks after being notified by ORR,” HHS wrote in the document.

Mayor Nancy Vaughan shared more clarifying comments on Facebook, writing “Leadership for the Office of Refugee Resettlement with oversight for the Logistics at the Greensboro Children’s Center shared that as of Sunday, June 23, 2024, the facility ramped down its operations to ‘facility upkeep.’ This means the amount of people on site keeping the facility in a ready state will ebb and flow, but generally there will be fewer people. While the site will continue to have no children in care, it must be ready to accept children for care eight weeks after being notified by ORR of a need for capacity. We will continue to keep a pulse on operations and share anything of significance.”

The property on 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.