United Methodist Children’s Home Bids Farewell to Its Selma Campus
But Our Ministry Continues & Remains Open to All God's Children!
In today’s childcare environment, the days of large campus and institutional-style care are quickly fading. Fewer children are being referred to large campuses – like the cluster of group homes located on Broad Street in Selma. Over the past decade, several group homes on this Selma campus of the United Methodist Children’s Home (UMCH) had to be closed due to the low number of children, in order to save the associated high-costs.
“We must continue to make decisions that put our children first,” explains Steve Hubbard, UMCH President & CEO, “while being good, responsible stewards of the contributions sent to us to care for them.”
Although there will always be a need for group homes, the preferred placement for the best care of children is in homes that blend into the surrounding neighborhood. Over the past ten years, UMCH has prepared itself for this shift in the childcare environment, and are still among the top-ranked agencies in the state of Alabama caring for children through diverse services.
UMCH has struggled for several years with the high costs of maintaining the large campus facilities in Selma, while only using a few buildings to care for the children being referred there. Earlier this year, its Board of Directors approved a plan to begin reducing the number of children and staff on the Selma campus.
By the end of January 2010, no children will be on the Selma campus.
“However,” said Mr. Hubbard, “it’s important for everyone to understand that ...
OUR MINISTRY IS NOT CLOSING.
“We will continue to serve the same number – and possibly more children within our system,” Mr. Hubbard continues. “We will continue to operate eight group homes throughout Alabama and Northwest Florida, to recruit and train more foster parents so that more children can be placed in their loving homes, and to work with children still living in their own homes with hopes that their families can stay together.”
For now, the UMCH Administrative Headquarters will remain in Selma, but will move to the Montgomery-Prattville area when the best location is found.
Mr. Hubbard said, “The eventual sale of the Selma property will help put the investments made back into our ministry in order to serve more children and expand in other areas in the future.”
You can read the full story, and read answers to frequently asked questions by clicking here. Send your comments and questions to UMCH at www.umch.net or call 1-800-239-3575.