GREENSBORO, N.C. — The former American Hebrew Academy will get tens of millions of dollars in federal dollars toward housing hundreds of immigrant children.
A contract summary on USAspending.gov shows the Department of Health and Human Services will lease the American Hebrew Academy for $49.8 million over the next five years.
Guilford County and Greensboro officials announced the lease last month. The academy will house kids who came into the United States illegally and alone.
The Unaccompanied Children program is run through HHS' Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).
ORR provides transitional housing for children who have come across the United States border alone. The program then works to place the children with family or provide a "vetted sponsor."
The federal agency will offer schooling, mental and medical serves, case management, legal services and recreational opportunities while the children are at the Greensboro facility.
An HHS fact sheet said the average length of time kids are in their care is about 30 days.
Local money will not go to the project according to officials.
"It is important to know that this will not be a drain on any local public resources," Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan said last month, "These children will not be in the Guilford County School system. The facility will provide its own security. This will be a fully self-contained facility."
The ORR runs about 200 facilities like this in 22 states. HHS said that as of February 16, there were about 9,782 unaccompanied children in their care.
The American Hebrew Academy's website said it's expecting about 800 of those kids to be housed at the campus.
The facility is also looking to hire 800 employees to teach and care for them. You can learn more about job opportunities here.
The leasing contract includes an option to renew for an additional five years.