Chair Stevens questions Fair Futures funding reduction rationale

I have, I'm going to transition to some other questions around fair futures.

I'm going to do some questions and I'll go to colleagues and then we'll come back.

The executive plan included baseline savings of $4.9 million from the city and state funding, stating that fiscal 2026 related to fair futures programs after speaking with

OMB understood that the savings should only been reflected in fiscal 2026 through 2028 that is expected to restore the funding in fiscal 2029 and 2030 in the future fiscal plan.

ACS has publicly stated that they desire to expand fair futures programs.

Giving this, what is the rationale for the funding's reduction within fair futures?

And this is, and I bring this up again, this is another program that ACS has been raising the flag about and saying how great it is and all the things.

So I get that we are in savings, but it is mind boggling that the programs that we've talked about for the last two years since I've been here and pointed to the success of getting these numbers down and foster care and transitioning that this is where we're finding savings.

So I just got to say it.

So I'll just start and then turn over to Deputy Commissioner Mendez.

You know, I think these programs are exactly what you're referring to when we're talking about

about focusing on youth and well-being and our responsibility to helping them develop and become successful adults and understand how to navigate the world as best as possible.

And our commitment to that continues.

And you'll hear from the deputy commissioner that it actually is not a loss in services and the investment is intended to be used in full.

Good morning.

Thank you for your question.

So regarding fair futures, you may recall in fiscal year, I believe it was 23, we baseline $30 million.

The city baseline $30 million in the program.

We were allowed to expand up to 26, serving children in care and out of care.

And then with the Youth Safety and Success Initiative, we received additional funding because we wanted to make sure there were additional resources because as we support the kids in care, even though that number is going down, as children are leaving, we wanted to continue.

So there was a plan, a robust plan, to take these additional dollars and have the agencies quickly ramp up to serve.

I think the original plan was 5,300 children starting either in fiscal year 27 or fiscal year 28.

So what we're doing is we're still expanding, and by fiscal year 29, 28, one of those fiscal years, 29, we'll get to 5,400.

But we are doing this incrementally, and we're allowing the...

the providers to have a little bit more time to ramp up, and that will help them build the infrastructure, do the onboarding, and hire the additional staff.

So in fact, in fiscal year 27, they are receiving more money per slot for Fair Futures, and we are looking for them to grow.

So the target, I don't have my glasses on, but there was a target for this year, you know how I am, and then there's going to be a target for fiscal year 27.

So they are going to be growing, reaching more young people.

The same thing for fiscal year 28.

And then by fiscal year 29, they should have their infrastructure and all of their additional staff in place to reach that 5,400 number at a minimum.

What I also will say is if providers come to us and say, look, I can do more than what you're asking us to do.

For example, we have the capacity to look at resource and shift so that no one will, if there's additional children that need fair futures, we're committed to figuring out how they can get the supports because we are committed to the program.