By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Community Service Center to see more changes
Program that helps families at risk of child neglect to end
Placeholder Image
For the second year in a row, the Gainesville-Hall County Community Service Center is undergoing some major changes.Also for a second year, those changes include the cancellation of one of its programs. Still, it’s not all bad news for a department that saw more drastic cuts only a year ago.The Family Preservation Program, which offers in-home counseling for families at risk of child neglect or abuse, will cease operations on Sept. 30, according to Hall County Administrator Randy Knighton. The families currently in the program will be directed to similar local programs.The Gainesville-Hall County program has been serving about 40 families and 120 children, said Phillippa Lewis Moss, director of the Community Service Center.Its dissolution comes as local governments continue to reduce costs.But with that loss comes changes in other programs, including an expansion of service with Meals on Wheels.The Community Service Center, jointly operated by Gainesville and Hall County, provides community outreach programs including free income tax preparation, manages the Meals on Wheels program, hosts the Senior Life Center and runs the Hall Area Transit system.Last summer, the Hall County Board of Commissioners approved a $120,000 cut in center funding, as part of its effort to erase an $11.5 million county budget gap.