Press Article: Financial Crisis at Family Help & Wellness Raises Concerns Over Child Safety
By Asheville Watchdog Staff
A financial crisis at Family Help & Wellness, the parent company of several residential programs including Asheville Academy, has prompted significant staff cuts and heightened concerns over child safety. Internal documents reveal that just four days before a boy’s tragic death at the Trails Carolina camp in Transylvania County, the Oregon-based company announced plans to eliminate 80 positions due to a severe budget shortfall nearing $7 million.
The financial turmoil has seen the organization’s average daily census drop from 492 residents in 2020 to 393 in 2023, leading to a daily loss of approximately $19,000. Despite hiking fees—raising costs from $491 to $624 per resident per day—Family Help & Wellness failed to stabilize its financial standing. New projected budgets anticipated Asheville Academy would start 2024 with only 27 residents, significantly under its licensed capacity.
Amid these struggles, the tragic death of a 12-year-old boy, classified as a homicide, at the camp, alongside two girl suicides at Asheville Academy, has raised alarms about the adequacy of care in profit-driven therapeutic environments. Staff members, speaking anonymously, expressed concerns over inadequate resources and high-stress conditions, leading to dangerously compromised care for residents with increasing mental health needs.
Former staff emphasized that financial priorities superseded the welfare of children, questioning the motivations behind accepting students with heightened needs without appropriate staffing increases. The culture of care, they argued, was undermined by a flawed model inherent in for-profit institutions.
Family Help & Wellness did not respond to queries about its operational and ethical concerns, leaving the future of its programs—and the safety of its residents—uncertain. As the organization navigates financial recovery, the emphasis on student well-being remains in question, raising difficult discussions about the viability of such care models.
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