Page 7 - Work Force March 2021

Members take part in virtual Capitol visits and rally for child care
CSEA fighting to save juvenile justice services
CSEA is fighting to preserve juvenile justice services after the New York State Budget
proposed to close four Office
of Children and Family Services (OCFS) juvenile justice facilities across the state.
Two of the facilities, Brentwood Residential Center for Girls and Columbia Girls Secure Facility, are among the state’s only dedicated juvenile justice facilities for girls.
The closure of Brentwood Residential Center would leave Long Island without a juvenile justice facility for girls and no such facility is located in New York City, either. Families would have
to travel to a facility several hours away to get the vital treatments that the girls need. It’s also important that the girls’ families are able to easily visit to help the girls get their lives back on the right path.
Another facility slated to close, Goshen Secure Center in Orange County, is also in fairly close proximity to the New York City area, where many of the youths come from.
OCFS has not presented any plan on where the youths would
be transferred. The proposed closures will lead to the elimination of critical services that CSEA members provide to some of the state’s most vulnerable residents, as well as leave community members without an important resource for their children.
CSEA members working at Brentwood Residential Center for Girls provide care for adjudicated youth whose families count on
the center to help their children integrate back into the community.
CSEA members provide many
services at the facility, including direct care, food services, custodial and grounds maintenance.
“The next
closest girls’
facility is [several]
hours away,”
said Brentwood
Residential Center
for Girls Youth
Division Aide
Bunny Gadson.
“A lot of the girls
who come here
have already been through the system in some way; this facility is their last hope. It’s important to have an all-girls facility so
the children can focus on their treatment and not dating.”
Mandatory therapy is a central component to the care that is provided at the facility.
“A lot of the kids refuse therapy when they’re at home,” said Brentwood Residential Center for Girls Youth Development Counselor Denean Brown. “When kids are
in placement at this facility, they are required to attend therapy sessions, along with school and other services that we provide.”
In the Capital Region, CSEA members are focused on fighting the proposed closure of Columbia Girls Secure Facility, which is the only secure juvenile justice facility exclusively for girls. Capital Region President Ron Briggs, other region officers and region Political Action Committee members have been lobbying state officials, making social media appeals and doing member outreach.
— Wendi Bowie and Therese Assalian
Gadson
CSEA/VOICE and the union’s Empire State Campaign for Child Care partners joined advocates
across the state for a virtual rally and press conference to kick off a series of actions planned throughout the month.
CSEA Child Care Local President Pam Wells appealed to the group of more than 500 attendees, which included providers, parents, advocates, elected officials and members of the media. The cost
of care has surged due to the need of social distancing, protective gear, cost of operating, cleaning, and disinfecting supplies, food and additional expense for staff.
“Many of us have utilizing our savings and credit cards to remain open for our communities while we build back to our pre-COVID-19 enrollment,” Wells said. “We need help. We need you to support child
care recovery and investment.” Heidi-Jo Brandt, CSEA/VOICE
Ulster Chapter Representative and CSEA Statewide Political Action Committee member spoke with State. Sen. Michelle Hinchey and advocacy partners via virtual Zoom meetings with lawmakers across the state to ensure lawmakers hear the current state of NY child care.
Brandt stressed that child care needs to be a priority. “We must deal with massive program closures to ensure working families have access to the child care they need,” she said. “It is vital for our state’s recovery,” she said.
“We are here today because we have hope; working together, with you, our communities, our governor, and our legislators,” said Wells. “We can and will build back better.”
— Jill Asencio
CSEA/VOICE Ulster Chapter Representative Heidi-Jo Brandt, upper left corner in this Zoom meeting screenshot, speaks with child care advocacy partners and state lawmakers, including State. Sen. Michelle Hinchey, bottom left corner.
March 2021 The Work Force 7