ENTERPRISE — After facing financial difficulties that resulted in staff cutbacks and a cabin closure, the Florida United Methodist Children’s Home is looking at a more stable financial future, according to the home’s president, the Rev. Alex Carmichel IV.

"Things are coming along better than last year," Carmichel said. "The churches have picked up the slack…and the operating dollars seem to be more consistent than the last couple of years. The churches want us to stay church-affiliated and…are doing well making sure we have the operating funds."

Last fall, the Children’s Home executive committee laid off employees, shortened work schedules and closed a cottage in response to a financial crisis caused primarily by a three-year decline in the number of estate gifts given to the home.

The closed cottage reopened in early August and is already housing children, Carmichel said. Now, nine of the 10 existing cottages are open, with an average of eight children per cottage, which Carmichel calls the "therapeutic capacity" of the home.

"Our residential capacity is higher than that, but that is a manageable amount of kids," he said.

The 10th cottage is closed for major renovations, with much of the work being done by volunteer teams.

A new cottage in the planning and permitting stage is scheduled to open early in 2001, Carmichel said. It is being built with money given by a former Children’s Home trustee.

Currently, much of Carmichel’s attention is focused on accreditation reviews in October from both the United Methodist Church and Florida Department of Children and Family Services.

Carmichel says he plans to visit all 14 of the conference’s districts following those reviews to update clergy and laity on the strategic plan for the home, report on the accomplishments of the past five years and share future plans.

"The home will be 100 years old in 2008, so we’re looking at our plans for 2008," Carmichel said, adding he will also ask for input from the districts about "where they’d like to see us going."

Carmichel said he hopes to announce dates for the district visits later this year.