FARMINGTON – The Kerr House, which served as a home for pregnant and parenting teens until it closed last month, is going up for sale.

The house closed because of financial difficulties and fluctuating occupancy. The four teenagers and their children living at the house have been transferred to other housing.

The directors of Positive Turning Points for Youth closed the home after deciding the financial liability of owning it, extensive debt, and an unfavorable cost structure for running a group home ruled out restarting the program’s youth services there, Chairwoman Janine Winn said.

“This is a decision we have very reluctantly made, given the amount of community support that has been in evidence,” Winn said.

This is not to say that some other group could not offer similar residential services, Winn said.

The board feels that attempting to offer programs under the group’s current structure would saddle any new endeavor with crippling debt, Winn said.

Although the board has opted to sell the stately Victorian house, it wants to discuss ideas for the building with members of the community.

The board is holding a meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 23, in the G.H. Bass room at Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington to give the community a chance for input.

The board will present information about services that the state Department of Human Services sees as needed in this area, Winn said.

“We welcome broad participation and input from others,” she said.

The mortgage on the 11-room High Street house, which has three bathrooms, a fireplace and a two-bedroom apartment downstairs, is currently $200,000, or $900 a month. The mortgage is relatively low because it is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development house, Winn said. If it were owned by a private individual, the mortgage would be more, she said.

Turning Points also has two vans up for sale.

Anyone who would like more information may contact Winn at 778-9522.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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