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LSS ADDRESSES HOMME CLOSING
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010 -- 10:30 am
Posted by Riley Hebert-News Director
It will be of little consolation to employees, but Lutheran Social Services says they hope to eventually reopen Homme Youth Home in Neillsville.
Employees were notified yesterday that LSS will close their Neillsville campus in mid-July.
The decision was prompted by a sharp decrease in the number of referrals from the state and counties.
"Everybody is facing challenges right now," says LSS spokesperson Briena Jacob, "in the past year, we've seen a drop in referrals of 20% to 40%."
Plus, the average length of stay has dropped significantly.
"Things just keep getting tighter," she says.
The Neillsville campus specializes in rehabilitating male youth who have a number of behavioral risk factors.
Jacob says LSS is “suspending services” at the Neillsville location.
"We are going to retain the building. Keep it ready to go. It really will (depend) on the rate of referrals and what we see in the next six to nine months," Jacob says. "Hopefully more referrals will be coming our way and the state will pay an appropriate amount."
Some staff here in Neillsville are being offered jobs at the Homme location in Wittenberg. Others will be laid off. Jacob says she’s not able to say how many employees will be affected.
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