GAINESVILLE, Ga., March 26, 2026. Wellroot Family Services is proud to announce the official opening of its new Gainesville Family Resiliency Center, located at the Gainesville-Hall County Community Service Center, 430 Prior St. SE.
Wellroot moved into the new office in October 2025, and now invites the community to celebrate with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, from 1 to 3 p.m. Community members, civic leaders, local partners, and families are warmly invited to attend.
The new office gives Wellroot a dedicated home in Hall County to expand its full continuum of family services, arriving at a critical moment for the region’s children. According to the Georgia Health Policy Center, nearly one in four Georgia youth ages 3 to 17 have one or more emotional, behavioral, or developmental conditions — yet up to half of children with treatable mental health disorders are not receiving the care they need. Hall County families face those same barriers, and the Gainesville Family Resiliency Center directly addresses them by bringing licensed behavioral health care and other critical family services to the community.
“For decades, Wellroot has been honored to serve children and families in Hall County through foster care and family services. Through the generosity of our community donors and partners, we are now able to expand what we offer here, bringing behavioral health services, legal advocacy for families, and a dedicated team of trauma-informed experts closer to the families who need them most. We are deeply grateful for the support that makes this next chapter possible,” said Allison Ashe, president and CEO of Wellroot Family Services.
Expanded services to address community need
The Gainesville Family Resiliency Center marks a new chapter for Wellroot in Hall County, offering an expanded suite of services:
- Expanded Behavioral Health Services: Building on its existing Functional Family Therapy services, Wellroot Family Services has expanded its behavioral health offerings and is now a Georgia Medicaid-enrolled provider. This expansion allows Wellroot to offer coordinated behavioral health care, including outpatient therapy, psychiatric treatment and medication management through a clinical partner, and nursing care. As a qualified core services provider through the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), Wellroot is strengthening access to integrated, family-centered support for children, youth, and families in Hall County and beyond.
- Launch of the Family Advocacy Project: The Family Advocacy Project provides free legal advocacy for Hall County families with children under 18. Through a team that includes an attorney, a family advocate, and a peer partner, the program helps families navigate legal challenges, housing instability, school issues, and more — offering early support before problems escalate to possible involvement with the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS).
These additions complement Wellroot’s existing services, including foster care, kinship care, family housing, transitional living, and evidence-based family preservation programs, bringing more support within reach for families in Northeast Georgia.
A space designed for families
The new Gainesville Family Resiliency Center was brought to life through the generosity of community partners and donors who wanted the space to feel as welcoming as the services offered inside.
Foster Love and the Safelite Foundation redecorated two family rooms, including one designed around a playful sea creature theme with calming blues and greens, and stocked both with toys, games, and books for children visiting with their families. A generous local donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, covered the cost of remodeling, moving, technology updates, and furniture throughout the office, making the new center possible from the ground up and ensuring every corner reflects the warmth and care Wellroot brings to every family it serves.
Ribbon-cutting and open house event details
- Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2026
- Time: 1–3 p.m., ribbon-cutting followed by open house
- Location: Wellroot Family Services Gainesville Family Resiliency Center, 430 Prior St. SE, Gainesville, GA 30501
- Entrance: Located on the Prior Street side of the Gainesville-Hall County Community Service Center.
- The event is open to community members, civic leaders, local partners, media, and families. Light refreshments will be provided.
“Every child deserves to be raised in a loving, safe, and nurturing home,” said Ashe. “The Gainesville Family Resiliency Center is our commitment to making that vision real for more families right here in Hall County. We invite the community to come celebrate with us and learn how we can work together to build a stronger future for Gainesville’s children.”
About Wellroot Family Services
Wellroot Family Services, formerly The United Methodist Children’s Home, is one of Georgia’s longest-serving child welfare organizations. For 155 years, Wellroot has provided homes for children, teens, young adults, and families. Wellroot’s mission is to restore children and families from trauma. Through the Gainesville Family Resiliency Center, families in Hall County now have local access to the organization’s complete continuum of care:
- Maternal and Infant Health: An affiliate of Healthy Families America®, this evidence-based home visiting program supports expectant and new mothers from pregnancy through a child’s early years. The program provides postpartum screening, developmental resources, and connection to community services, ensuring every baby has a healthy start and every mother has the support she needs.
- Behavioral Health Services (expanded): Licensed counseling, trauma-informed therapy, and family resiliency programming, including Functional Family Therapy, help children and families address mental health challenges and build lasting resilience.
- Foster Care and Kinship Care: Wellroot connects children who cannot remain at home with nurturing foster and kinship families, with the goal of reunification whenever possible or adoption into a permanent, loving home.
- Family Advocacy Project (new): A preventive legal advocacy initiative connecting families with attorneys, a social worker, and peer advocates before challenges escalate to possible involvement with DFCS. Participation is voluntary.
- Parenting and Community Resilience Training: Evidence-based programs, including Triple P Positive Parenting Program, Reaching Teens, Community Resiliency Model, and Connections Matter, equip parents and professionals with tools to prevent trauma and strengthen families.
- Safety Net: Housing and supportive services for young adults ages 18 to 24 experiencing homelessness in Hall, Dawson, and Forsyth counties. The program provides stable housing, case management, and life skills support to help participants achieve long-term stability and self-sufficiency.
