Albany County approves youth services contracts, budget tweak as officials flag placement shortages

Albany County officials on an unspecified meeting date approved several measures to fund and expand services for juveniles, including contracts with Parsons Child and Family Center for an enhanced case‑management program, a short‑term payment to Leah Hona Academy for an out‑of‑state placement, amendments to the department’s 2025 budget, expanded Healthy Families home‑visiting contracts, and an interdepartmental agreement with the county Probation Department.

The measures were presented by Department for Children, Youth and Families staff and were approved during routine motions. Commissioner Manning described Parsons’ PATH (Participants Achieving Through Hard Work) program as “a program that is, actually we found out about because probation utilizes it as well,” and said it provides enhanced case management and mentors for juveniles involved with STSJP (supervision and treatment for juveniles). Manning and department staff said Parsons will provide services for youth referred through existing juvenile supervision channels.

The county also authorized a contract with Leah Hona Academy to cover care already provided to a single child who had been placed out of state. Department staff said the youth has been rejected by numerous voluntary agencies across several states and is currently “in a psychiatric hospital” in Utah; the county will pay Leah Hona Academy for 18 days of care already provided. Staff and some board members discussed the limits of local placement options and the wider New York State shortage of secure, therapeutic facilities for children with severe behavioral needs.

On a related administrative motion, commissioners approved an amendment to the Department for Children, Youth and Families’ 2025 budget to reallocate funds within personnel lines so two positions are at appropriate pay levels. Staff described the change as moving money from an account clerk line to support appropriate pay for those employees.

Officials also authorized agreements to expand the Healthy Families home‑visiting program, funded by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). Staff said the OCFS funds allow the county to contract with Parsons for Healthy Families staff and to extend the program’s age range — previously focused on prenatal referrals and infants — to serve children up to 6 years old. Department staff said referrals come from hospitals, pediatricians and the county single point of entry line.

Finally, the county approved an interdepartmental agreement between the Department for Children, Youth and Families and the Albany County Probation Department to support probation officers’ salaries and fringe benefits and to align services — including the Accountability Board, Parent Project, JRUS and Raise the Age-related work — for juveniles involved in family court and secure detention.

Discussion: board members and staff repeatedly framed several problems as driven by statewide capacity limits rather than county policy. Staff described attempts to place some high‑need youths across multiple states and said voluntary local agencies often decline placements because youths go AWOL (run away) when placed near the City of Albany. One board member asked what prevented a local placement; staff responded that the child’s reactive attachment disorder and aggressive incidents had led prior providers to reject placement, and that hospitalizations are short term and insufficient for ongoing needs. Staff referenced past local facilities (including a closed unit at Ellis and a formerly available locked setting called Skeino House at CDPC) when describing needed capacity.

All presented motions were approved by voice vote as recorded in the meeting transcript. The items for the department were presented as separate agenda items but were discussed together in the meeting’s juvenile‑services portion.

Looking ahead, staff noted the county will continue to pursue in‑state and out‑of‑state placement options as needed, and that some services depend on OCFS funding and on the availability of specialized therapeutic facilities beyond county control.