Efforts by the Limestone County Commission to reduce its amount of monthly rent payments could lead to homelessness for an agency that helps locate shelter for others.

Officials with the Athens-Limestone Family Resource Center are concerned the county may not renew its lease agreement for the space at 406 S. Jefferson St., which expires at the end of this month. The county may also choose not to renew a lease agreement for the Community Corrections program, located next door at 410 S. Jefferson St.

Because Community Corrections is a county-sanctioned program, however, Commission Chairman Stanley Menefee said space would be found for the agency. He added the commission shouldn’t be responsible for leasing space for all nonprofit agencies because “if we house one, we have to house them all.”

“This is just a way to cut costs, and we are paying a good amount of rent there,” he said. “We have other buildings available for Community Corrections, and we may look at building a new building because that might be cheaper. … We need to be good stewards (with the county’s money).”

As part of ongoing efforts to reduce rent payments, the commission last month voted to allow Menefee and Commissioner Gerald Barksdale to negotiate the purchase of the LauCourt Event Center at the intersection of Nick Davis and McCulley Mill roads. The county has rented the building, which is used as the East Limestone Senior Center, since last March at a cost of $1,800 per month.

The county pays $1,000 per month for the FRC space and $2,500 for the community corrections space to building owner Jimmy Greenhaw. The FRC receives two $20,000 appropriations from the county and city of Athens each year, but that money does not include the cost of rent or utilities. The FRC also receives $25,000 in TVA-in-lieu-of-tax funds.

The FRC will continue to operate using its allocated funds, but director Sarah Chadwell hopes the agency won’t have to pack up and move at the end of the month. She added finding a new location on such short notice, however, will be difficult. She plans to appear at the commission’s work session on April 11 to discuss the matter.

“We’ve got all these files and it would be really overwhelming,” she said. “We’ll find a church (to work out of) if we have to, and we will fulfill our commitments. I’m just praying the commission will have a change of heart.”

Family Resource Centers were established in about 60 counties while Gov. Bob Riley was in office. The goal of the agency is to work in collaboration with other social service agencies and churches to provide resources to families who lose their homes, jobs or simply can’t afford to pay their utility bills.

The FRC’s space is also open to other visiting agencies, including LAUNCH, Careerlink, Vocational Rehab, Crisis Services, Childcare Management and Kids and Kin.

Chadwell estimated the FRC sees an average of about 10 families per day over 200 working days, with about three-fourths of those being helped with simple needs like food and clothing. Other cases, she said, can take much longer and involve locating shelter, health services or employment.

Kaye Young McFarlen, director of the Athens-Limestone United Way, said she hoped a solution could be found to keep the FRC functioning. Because the United Way works closely with the FRC, she said losing the agency would make it difficult for other groups that offer social services.

“They are the place where all of us send clients that need something behind just a quick referral. If that goes away, there will be a huge impact to the community because there won’t be enough organizations that can do case management,” she said. “They’ve been real successful with what they’re doing, and I suspect there a lot of people looking at this situation with interest.”

County commissioners are split on the issue, and have all provided differing opinions on how to address the FRC’s future. Commissioner Bill Daws said the FRC provides a “good service” to the community and doesn’t want to see it have to relocate.

Commissioner Gerald Barksdale said he’s in favor of letting the agency stay put if it has the funds to sustain itself at the location or if a suitable agreement can be worked out with Greenhaw. He said there’s a long history of the state providing resources to social service agencies, only to see that funding dwindle and counties having to step in to take up the slack.

“When these new agencies start up, (the state) drops it like a lead balloon. If the commission can’t continue to fund it, I’m sorry,” he said. “We have to go with whatever we can afford.”