Executive director says Vigo County group-home program is serving children and returning revenue to the county

Norman Lautommer, executive director of the Vigo County Home for Children, told the Vigo County Board of Commissioners that the county'run group-home program exists to help children transition to foster care and other placements and has generated revenue for the county since reopening.

Lautommer said the homes provide a step-down setting for children who do not adapt immediately to foster care and described two programs at the site. "The first program is called a growth grama," he said, expanding the acronym as Guidance, Resilience, Opportunity, Wellness, Trust and Hope, which he described as a long-term residential, trauma-informed program for children ages 10 to 18. He also described a HOPE program (home for opportunity, protection, empowerment) operating as emergency shelter care for children placed by law enforcement or the Department of Child Services (DCS).

Why it matters: Commissioners and members of the public have raised questions about how the homes operate, whom they serve and how county funds are used. Lautommer addressed those concerns by citing licensing, referral sources and claimed financial returns to the county.

Lautommer said the facility is state-licensed and accepts DCS referrals from several counties. He listed Clay, Marion, Vermillion, Vigo, Bartholomew, Monroe, Posey, Vanderburgh, Hancock and Boone as places where referred children originate. "We're not a Vigo County-only licensed facility. We are a state-licensed facility," he said.

He gave a range of clinical needs served at the homes, including anxiety, conduct disorders, trauma-related conditions, depressive and bipolar-related disorders and gender dysphoria. He said the long-term program accepts children who meet contract criteria and cannot accept placements requiring a secure facility.

Lautommer described the program's start after the board approved reopening in late 2024: he said the first child was accepted at the end of February 2025 and the homes operated through June 2026. On service volumes and finances he said the operation "average[s] 4.6 kids" but the transcript contains inconsistent phrasing about whether that figure is per day or per month; he also stated the fee schedule yields about $5,000 per day in billed fees. He offered a cumulative revenue figure: "$2,163,964.76" returned to the county since reopening, with about $540,991 placed in a nonreverting fund and roughly $1,600,000 placed in the general fund, according to his account.

On staffing and budget, Lautommer said the operation runs two homes with 12 direct-care staff (six at each home on 12-hour shifts) and five administrative staff. He said roughly $103,000 of previously budgeted general-fund money covers operating costs and that the nonreverting fund is used for capital or supplemental items such as vehicles, furnaces and mattresses. "All of the money comes to the county," he said, adding that the commissioners agreed to capture 25% of returns in a nonreverting fund to be spent only on the group homes.

A commissioner asked follow-up questions about the revenue and payouts. Lautommer answered with the staffing and budget details above and said some months were sparse early after reopening but that recent monthly totals were "well over a $130,000 average." He closed by asking commissioners to note the service the homes provide to children who need transitional care.

The meeting record includes multiple financial and quantity claims made by Lautommer. Several figures were stated precisely in the transcript (for example, $2,163,964.76 in cumulative revenue and $540,991 in the nonreverting fund), while other numeric claims are inconsistent in context (the "4.6" average is reported ambiguously as either per day or per month). The transcript indicates DCS is the program''s single referral vendor.

The board did not take action on the home during the meeting; Lautommer's remarks occurred during the public-comment portion and no vote followed the presentation. The meeting recessed after no further public comment was offered.