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Grandfather Home is Not Closing, Plans for Expansion This Fall

Due to COVID-19 and staffing challenges, children living on campus at Grandfather Home are moving to other locations over the next few weeks. After the pandemic crisis is over, Grandfather Home cottages will be lively once again.  Plans for expansion this fall include three new programs coming to Avery and Watauga counties. 

This fall, Grandfather Home will add mental health counseling services such as family counseling and individual therapy for children, ages 5-21.  Therapy will be provided on the Grandfather Home campus with some home visits if needed.  In addition to a counseling center, family foster care and therapeutic foster care is expanding throughout the High Country with hopes to add ten new foster homes in the local area.  And finally, a new grant-funded service called TASK will be coming to Avery and Watauga Counties this fall.  Treatment Alternatives for Sexualized Kids is a unique program that promotes community safety by treating youth who may have caused sexual harm.

Grandfather Home campus announces the expansion of new services to meet the “Child Now Before Us” after facing challenges throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning in March, Grandfather Home campus of Children’s Hope Alliance felt the impact of COVID-19 first hand. The campus experienced its first 14-day cottage quarantine due to potential exposure to the virus. At that time, two cottages were emptied, and children were moved to therapeutic foster families or other placements. Later an interim, quarantine unit was opened where new admissions to campus would be separated from the other kids until they were cleared by medical staff. Facing more staffing challenges and health and safety concerns, more children have moved off-campus this week.

The health and safety of children are of utmost concern to everyone at the Grandfather Home campus of Children’s Hope Alliance. Over the next three months, leadership will be meeting with community leaders across the High Country to do a thorough community needs assessment.  The needs assessment promises even more growth. Although the campus is quiet now, it won’t be quiet for long.

For additional information, please call 828-897-4527.