Decatur Buys United Methodist Children’s Home

DECATUR, GA -- The city of Decatur this week sign documents tobuy the United Methodist Children’s Home for $40 million, Patch has learned.

United Methodist Children’s Home President/ CEO Hal Jones and Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett signed the paperwork Tuesday stipulating the sale of the home's 77 acres. The city must now secure financing before closing the deal.

“We are so excited to keep this project moving forward and I am proud to be able to represent the Decatur City Commission in executing the contract that will start the process of making the purchase happen,” Garrett said in a news release.

Read more: City Of Decatur To Buy United Methodist Children’s Home

Jones said the sale does not mean that United Methodist Children's Home (UMCH) will stop the home from facilitating help to the region's most needy citizens. “We are committed to reaching out to, and serving, the alarming and growing number of children and families who are in crisis. The sale of the Decatur property helps us expand this ministry across North Georgia.”

DeKalb officials have made very clear that they have heard from residents who are fearful that the property would be sold to developers that want to build new housing, something that many people oppose.

Board Chair Debby Stikes added that “preserving the Moore Chapel and the gravesite of UMCH’s founder Rev. Dr. Jesse Boring was very important to the Board, to members of our alumni group, and to countless others across North Georgia who partner with us in this ministry. We are delighted with the City’s support in honoring the memories created on this property.”

The UMCH is expected to move out of the facility by late summer or early fall, at which time Decatur will annex the acreage and begin efforts to reach out to the community to figure out together how best to use the space.

The children's home announced in January that it was putting the 77-acre campus on South Columbia Drive up for sale. An air of uncertainty has swirled around the facility since then, with many people fearing that a new housing development could take its place.

The United Methodist Children’s Home, founded with the mission to aid orphans of the Civil War, is a fixture of the community that serves today as temporary housing for young people who have moved out of foster care or troubled homes.

In 40 counties across Georgia, UMCH serves more than 240 children and adults a day.

Image via city of Decatur