UNAKA, N.C. – Eight men and women sit in a large, cheerful room, decorated for Christmas with gas logs aglow in the fireplace.
It appears to be a large family or gathering of friends, passing a late afternoon in a homey atmosphere. But this home is in danger of being closed, and the occupants would have to find other housing. The home is Autumn Halls of Unaka and it houses 12 developmentally or learning disabled residents, said Shelly Debty, who owns and operates the home along with her father, Will Hayes.
The state, in a severe budget crunch, has cut funding to group homes across the state. Autumn Halls, like many other homes for developmentally disabled, is having to cut spending to scrimp by. Some are in danger of closing, Debty said.
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