United Methodist Children’s Leaves Decatur For New Digs In Tucker, Clarkston

DECATUR, GA -- The United Methodist Children’s Home is leaving Decatur but staying in DeKalb County after signing leases for new digs that include residences, offices and a flea market, Patch has learned. The ministry has secured new housing for program residents in Tucker and Clarkston, administrators said.

People will are now at UMCH’s Decatur campus will began moving into the new locations as soon as mid-August. (SIGN UP: For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. Or if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

The ministry will use the site at 1967 Lakeside Parkway, Building 400 in Tucker for administrative and volunteer office space. The location will also house the UMCH Flea Market.

City Of Decatur To Buy United Methodist Children's Home

Earlier this year, UMCH announced that it was leaving its 77-acre campus at 500 Columbia Drive in Decatur because it was seeking new ways to service the region's most needy residents. The ministry said that the $40 million deal will help UMCH reach more children and families in crisis in new communities across North Georgia.

“We now have a new residential base from which to expand our ministry,” said the Rev. Hal Jones, Children’s Home president and CEO. “This milestone opens a much wider path to continue providing services to people in DeKalb County, and to serve many more people in new communities across North Georgia.”

Jones said the ministry begins a new chapter with the signing of the leases. “The new space is perfectly suited for UMCH staff to provide services to clients in Foster Care, Family Housing, Independent Living and Transitional Living,” he said. “The sale of our Decatur campus enables us to grow the number of children and families we serve daily by 25 percent, from serving 240 people a day, to over 300 a day.”

The city of Decatur and the Children’s Home agreed to name the existing administration building at 500 South Columbia Drive – which will be used by the city -- in memory of Bev Cochran, former CEO of the Children’s Home. Cochran helmed the ministry for nearly half a century until 2012.

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