Officials with the Department of Public Safety’s Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice, in conjunction with the Methodist Home for Children, hosted an open house at the Wayne County Multi-Purpose Group Home in Goldsboro today to celebrate its repair and reopening following damages incurred during Hurricane Matthew.
As the storm’s rains came through eastern North Carolina last October, eight youths residing in the home were evacuated due to rising waters that eventually flooded the home’s interior, damaging floors, furniture, doors, drywall and more. Since that time, the home has undergone 10 months of repair and renovation, through collaborative efforts between Juvenile Community Programs, DPS Central Engineering and Triangle Region Maintenance, the N.C. Department of Transportation, Methodist Home for Children, The Green Chair Project, local vendors and FEMA funding. The home resumed services to the youth on Aug. 21, 2017.
“I join Gov. Roy Cooper in applauding the hard work, collaboration and partnerships that were involved in the rebuilding of this home following Hurricane Matthew,” said Secretary Erik A. Hooks of the N.C. Department of Public Safety. “Thanks to so many people who cared enough to put forth the effort, children are once again able to appreciate and learn from the services provided by Methodist Home for Children.”
Multi-purpose group homes are designed to provide non-secure, long-term, residential care as an alternative to secure detention and youth development centers. “Reopening the Wayne County home quickly was critical to our goal of serving youth in our local communities, rather than secure custody, whenever possible,” said William Lassiter, deputy secretary for Juvenile Justice. “Although much of the exterior had to be replaced we were fortunate to have had no major structural damage at the home. This has allowed us to bring this facility, which is a valuable resource for the youth in this community, back into operation.”
The Wayne County Multipurpose Group Home provides an evidence-based model of care to court-ordered youth and serves juveniles from Wayne, Lenoir and Greene counties. Methodist Home for Children provides these contractual services for the N.C. Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice. This group home has a capacity to serve eight youths at a time and serves approximately 16 youth per year.