150-year-old youth residential treatment facility closing | Tomorrow's headlines tonight

I want to bring in my next investigative journalist from the Daily Freeman in the Mid-Hudson Valley, Patricia Doxey. Patricia, thank you so much. We had a little technical problem, but you figured it out. Yeah, thank you for having me. And yeah, we got the technology under control, I think. I think. Fingers crossed. So, Patricia, I have to tell our audience a little bit about you because I did a little research on you. And the Daily Freeman has been around in the Mid-Hudson Valley since 1871. And you have spent not that long. Don't worry. You've spent most of your career As a local news reporter, so we're both here to stay, local news is not dying, it is not dead because you and I are still here. Tell us what kept you, is this your home and what kept you, your feet in the Mid-Hudson Valley covering local news for all these years? I was born and raised in the Mid-Hudson Valley, it's a great place to live, it's where I chose to raise my kids. Local news is so important. I think it's among the most important news that you can get because it affects your everyday life, whether it's schools or local government or county governments, which all levy taxes. They pass laws that have a direct effect on your life, and I think that it's incredibly important for people to know what's happening in their community. And you work for a newspaper that has really withstood the test of time. It is still there, you know, from 1871, is that what it is? And the mission remains the same? 1871, that's correct, yes. We've gone through a few name changes over the years, but yeah. Yeah, and the mission remains the same, right? To hold people accountable, especially in local government? Absolutely, that is our absolute number one mission, hold the government officials accountable to the people that they serve. So you and I spoke on the phone a little while ago, and I teased you that we have a personal connection to The Daily Freeman. We did. We do. So the CEO of Fox Television Stations, Jack Abernathy, got his professional start delivering your newspaper, The Daily Freeman. I think it was still called that when he did it, for one cent a paper. And he told us that he rode his bike. Oh, my goodness. I know. And here he is, a big corporate executive now. But that's where, you know, he got his professional start. And when it snowed, I know it sounds a little like it's a cliche. I'm making this up. He did have to walk and deliver the papers when it snowed. And I'm sure it snows quite a bit up in the Mid-Hudson Valley in the wintertime. He had ink flowing through his veins at an early age. That's right. That's right. Anyway, I want to ask you about a story that you've been working on for a while now. How did you get a tip that a group home was abruptly going to be closing? And why did it come as a surprise to the community you serve? First of all, tell us about the group home, what it's called and who it serves. It was called the Children's Home of Kingston, and it's actually been in existence for 150 years. It got its start in 1876 as an orphanage called the Industrial Home of the City of Kingston. It went through a few different... Iterations over the years, moved a couple of places, and then in 1947, it was called, renamed the Children's Home of Kingston. At about that same time, it moved to an all-boys Home, prior to that it had been for all children, girls and boys, but at about 1947 or thereabouts it became an all boys home. It's a private not-for-profit now that serves boys between the ages of 10 and 21. Mostly they're placed there by the courts or by schools who, you know, they're troubled kids, whether they're emotionally or behaviorally. Troubled. That's most of the placements there. We found out about their. So for a while they were very involved in the community. We heard a lot about them. But then in about the mid 2000s, we sort of stopped hearing about them. And that was about the same time that they got grants from the federal government, from the Department of DHHS. For through their Office of Refugee Resettlement Program to take in minor refugees and unaccompanied minors and kids who had been separated under the Trump zero tolerance policy. And those who had come in across the border, say many of them, I'm sure, maybe with adults or without adults. And then they had to be moved somewhere. So some were moved to the Mid-Hudson Valley. Yes, that's absolutely correct. And the Children's Home of Kingston started getting grants to house them through the Federal Refugee Resettlement Program. So for the past, since about 2016, they've been getting grants to support that program within the Children's Home. I found out, actually, it was a tip. I saw something posted on Facebook by a local official who said that he had spoken to an employee there and they were told that it was closing. And I was like, oh, well, isn't that interesting? And we started to do a little digging. Thank The children's home was not cooperative at the time. They weren't returning phone calls, they couldn't get answers. We were able to confirm it sort of through different methods. The local department of social services had a client place there, a youth place there. you. And we were able to confirm that they were told that they would have to find a new placement for that youth because the facility would be closing. So that's how we found out. And just to back up a bit, you know, because I sort of put it forward, this home has been in that community for 150 years, right? 150 years, that's correct. It was founded as an orphanage. It was called the Industrial Home of the City of Kingston. And its mission at the time was the temporary care and training of friendless, neglected or destitute children and to provide a home for respectable aged. Aged Adults. That was their original mission. Yeah. Orphans, essentially. But now it's evolved a little bit because social services maybe provide families, as we talked about a little bit. But what time? So you get a tip on Facebook. Good to know. You can still get news tips on social media. You never know where you can find them. Thank Why wasn't the home willing to talk to you? What kind of resistance did you face there? I still don't know. Now development today after I've published another story today, the executive director finally reached out to me and I'm gonna have an interview with her tomorrow. you. But up until that point, they had not. Returned calls, they were not reaching out to us. They issued a, after my first story appeared, probably two or three days later, they issued sort of a vague statement that said that they were committed to providing services and to get the information about their programs from them, but then they offered no information. It was sort of a cryptic kind of a press release, not even a press release, a statement. So how many? So we don't know. You don't know how many kids are being taken care of in the home? I believe 18, I believe, but we don't know. And when is this supposed to close? So the residential program will be closing at the beginning of January. They notified the Thank New York State Office of Family and Children's Services in October. That started a 90-day clock. So they have 90 days to develop a closure plan and to find new placements for the boys that are there. you. I believe that that's actually ongoing. This is a very difficult process and heartbreaking, too, because a troubled young person like that, there's so few places that can actually help them. And the court systems place them there sometimes. Where are these kids going to go? You know, that's a big question and it is heartbreaking. I was speaking to somebody today and they were saying that the The children's home is trying to find a local placement for one of their residential kids because he's a senior and he's going to be graduating this year. And if they don't find him a placement locally, he's going to have to move mid-year. That's tough on anybody to have to move in the middle of your senior year. But these are kids who... Are suffering from trauma or behavioral or emotional difficulties. So it's even more difficult to sort of uproot them and plop them into a new setting mid-year. So I know that's one of the things that they're trying to do is find a location for this one particular boy. So we're coming to you from New York City, right? Densely populated, crowded, crazy. But where this home is located in the Mid-Hudson Valley, it's very rural country. You know, it's like maybe a gift even to be in that environment physically. Is there a chance they could be moved back into an urban environment or are all cards on the table? I think that all of the cards are on the table, yeah, because it's very difficult to find. Facilities to be able to place these youth in and so they could end up really anywhere and you're right. It is a beautiful setting. They have a five acres. They've got really phenomenal. So, um... They've got property, they've got amenities, they've got a pool, it's quite lovely there. And they could end up who knows where, in an inner city, farther away from home, farther away from where their parents are. That's always difficult too. So what kind of- But we also don't know where they come from. Right. Talk to me a little bit about what the school provided for these boys besides shelter and food. I mean, what was their mission in more recent years? They provide shelter, they provide food, they provide a therapeutic community education. These are kids who are graduating with Regents Diplomas, some of them. They provide them with a stable environment where they can get the services that they need, where they can... Have the opportunity to sort of learn how to regulate their emotions and their behaviors outside of peer pressure from whatever environment they came from. Set them up for a successful life, it sounds like, you know, or try to. That's really important. I want to ask you, what about the staff? They obviously have very specialized degrees if you're dealing with. Emotional issues like this or special education. How many of the staff had to be laid off in this transition? I'm told eight. Now, they are keeping the school open. So the teachers and all of those who support the educational component of the Children's Home of Kingston will remain. So it's those who support with the residential part. And I'm told that there are eight. Thank Ulster County government will be providing them with services through their Office of Employment Retraining Programs. So we talked about what happened, but now let's talk about why it happened. It sounds like money and politics were at play here and maybe some bad bookkeeping. you. What happened or what did your reporting show? So what we know is that in about 2016, they started getting grants, these federal resettlement grants. And they were taking in these kids who were either being coming in across the borders unaccompanied or were being placed there after being separated from their parents. Their parents were sent one place, they were sent another. Thank From what we can see through tax forms and audits that were conducted, they really started having trouble in about 2023. They started operating. Having operating losses 2023, 2024, 2025. you. In 2025, the resettlement grants were cut off. They had been getting about $3.5 million a year. Those grants went away. That money accounted for over 40% of their operating budget. So to lose that, they removed the kids in 2025. The funding ended in 2026, the children's home, excuse me, did not reapply for it. They had lots of bookkeeping problems. They were billing the federal government for services under the grant that they weren't allowed to. I'm So, so just lots of financial problems. starting And again, when, when that comprises 43% of your budget or more, that's a huge hit. That's half of your money. Yeah. And you said they didn't. the exec utive director Yeah. They didn't try to reapply. Not for 2027. Yeah No, they did not. And according to the independent audit, the children's, and this is a direct quote, now. did not comply in all material respects with the compliance requirements for the grant. That's pretty significant. They did not comply in all material respects. So are you calling this mismanagement or malfeasance or something worse? I'm not the executive director and her response to the audit said that they had an extensive legacy of people who are untrained or inexperienced doing the accounting. So they are blaming their accounting staff. They didn't have a CFO. She said there was lots of turnover and people basically didn't know what they were doing. And so it resulted in millions of dollars in losses. And impacting the lives of both these employees and the young lives. The lives of all these kids. All these kids. You reported, you updated your story a couple of hours ago. So some of these kids, if they're still around, will be able to go to the day school that's associated with this residential facility. Is that right? So it has two components. One is the day school. The day school provides educational services, not just to those kids who are residents of the children's home, but also it's a specialized school for kids who are placed there by their school districts. So all school districts have committees on special education. If kids need certain specialized educational programs, they can be placed at the children's home. It's called the Grove Street Academy, I believe, or Grove Street, I believe that's what it's called. Yeah, they can be placed at the academy, which is just a school that will remain open. They're hoping to encourage school districts locally to look at them as an option. Rather than transporting them farther away to other school districts or other programs outside of the area. They're hoping that the school districts locally will look at the academy as potentially a placement for the kids. The ones who are in the residential programs, they're going. If they're leaving, they won't be here. So you've done a couple of stories and even one a few hours ago, as you said, but what is the community reaction been to a home that's been in the community for 150 years in Kingston now closing? There's, well, there's been a lot of sort of negative reaction. People are upset about it. That was one of the reasons that the leadership of the Ulster County Legislature You're met with the... Officials and the board and the executive director on Thursday to discuss what was going on, what they could do, if anything, to help and try to understand what the hurdles they were facing are. There's not much, unfortunately, that can be done. One of the things that was said to me is there's no point looking backward because there's nothing that can be done. So the best they can do is look forward and see where we can go from here. As I said before, the school sits on five acres of land. It's a beautiful property. You brought me to my next question about real estate development. I hate to say it, but it sounds like it's prime real estate. It's a beautiful piece of property, and that's one of the huge concerns in the community is what's going to happen to that land. You know, we are in the Hudson Valley in the midst of a housing crisis. Mm-hmm. Housing is very difficult to come by, and it's extraordinarily expensive. Um This is a prime piece of land. What I'm told is that the executive director and the board have said that they are committed to trying to work with the community to find a way to preserve that property for community uses of some sort, you. whether it's a partnership with other not-for-profits or another direction. But that. There did not seem to be an appetite at this point, at least for to sell it. Yeah, well, it does seem we'll see. Yeah, we'll see. Right. Follow the dollar. Right. Isn't that one of the mantras of a good investigative journalist? It'll be very interesting when you talk with the executive director tomorrow. I think that'll be great. I hope you come back and update us on that. But it does seem like this is a home that helped generations of troubled young men hopefully go on to lead better lives. Over a century. Over a century and closing down in an area, a beautiful area of the country, a beautiful area of upstate New York. Thank you so much for updating us on this story. We so appreciate it. And please come back and let us know, you know, what happens next in this saga, because I know you've done a little. Can you give us a tease as to what you're working on next as it relates to this or anything else? Well, in regards to this, I have a lot of questions for the executive director tomorrow. What's your first question? What happened? Yeah, good question. What happened? And how long have you known that there's been money problems and, you know, what's going to happen to these young people? And why couldn't somebody? Sorry, I got questions, too. Why couldn't somebody come in? Well, they're all the watchdogs. Where's the monitor? Yeah. And where was the state? I know you mentioned federal government, but does the state funding have anything to do to keep this going, too? Well, the state. Funds it on two different levels, right? We have the residential center, which is the Office of Family and Children's Services. That's sort of the DSS part. State education provides funding for the academy. Um... The state comptroller did an audit and recommended that the state not reimburse, the state education department, not reimburse the children's home over $670,000. For services that they say they provided or they failed to provide documentation. So they are having financial issues. And really, that's that's going to sort of be the focus of my questions tomorrow. How do you let yourself get into a situation where. You don't, you know, if I have an accountant and they're not doing a good job, I think I would not keep that accountant. Yeah, that's right. Begs the question, who are these people that were just led to get by failure after failure of doing their job? After failure. Yep. And the ones that pay are the kids. Listen, Patricia Doxey, thank you so much with the Daily Freeman. I know our boss is so happy to have you on because he's excited. He's reminiscing about those early years riding his bike, not in the snow, but delivering a paper for one cent. What does it cost? How much does it cost now to get a paper delivered? Good question. The Daily Freeman paper. It's the Daily Freeman. Yeah. The Daily Freeman. It's two doll It's $2 a copy. How much is it? And we still print $2. $2. $2 an issue. We still print daily. We are the only daily newspaper in Ulster County. And yeah, we have a pretty good, and we have a decent newsroom for today's, by today's standards. And we have a newsroom, so there is that, too. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All right, Patricia Doxey, thank you so much for the Daily Freeman. Thank you. Thank you. Keeping local news alive in the Mid-Hudson Valley. I love it.