GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — The unused Greensboro Influx Care Facility in Greensboro will soon be put to use by the Federal Emergency Management Agency after years of sitting vacant.
Formerly the American Hebrew Academy, the Greensboro facility was under contract with the Department of Health and Human Services to potentially house unaccompanied immigrant children.
However, in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Helene, lawmakers saw an opportunity to potentially use the facility to house victims of the storm. Though the plan to house Helene survivors never materialized, FEMA announced on Friday that staff will use the facility for training and processing.
“This will include North Carolinians who will be joining FEMA’s team to assist with recovery efforts in communities across the state,” the City of Greensboro said in a news release.
The City of Greensboro will not be involved with or oversee FEMA’s use of the facility.
Years after the American Hebrew Academy closed in 2019, plans became official in June 2022 to transform the former American Hebrew Academy property 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.
