Deputy Speaker Williams questions budgetary actions for racial equity and juvenile justice prevention
Williams asks about budgetary actions needed and how ACS identifies at-risk youth. Jones-Gaston believes goals are achievable within current budget. Ginsberg details expansion of ACEs program serving 400 more youth with $7M CTL, and Girls Just Us expanding to Queens and Bronx with 24 additional young women.
What if any budgetary actions need to be taken to help achieve these goals?
Well, before Deputy Commissioner Gendel jumps in, I just want to also just kind of chime in here.
First of all, I was super delighted to know that the agency had a racial equity plan.
And I'm looking forward to kind of digging into it and adding some of my perspective and experience.
To be able to deepen the work that we're doing with identified goals and focus areas, but also look for other opportunities where we can really focus on
decreasing the disproportionality and disparity that's experienced across our communities, particularly in the
services that we employ.
And I'll just, to answer your question, I believe that both the short-term and medium-term goals are all able to be accomplished within our current budget framework, but I will verify that with the first deputy commissioner.
Okay.
In the city's preliminary racial equity plan, ACS states that it plans to support young people in preventing contact with the juvenile justice system by expanding community-based programs that serve youth before they come to the attention of family court.
How does ACS plan to identify youth who may be at risk of system involvement, and what specific community-based programs
or interventions does the agency plan to expand or invest in, and what resources are included, if any, in the exec plan to support this work?
I'm going to turn it over to Deputy Commissioner Ginsburg to talk a bit about ACEs and Just Us and maybe other items.
Good morning, nice to see you.
Thank you for your question.
As you are aware, we engaged in a large expansion of both ACEs through the CASES program and Girls Just Us in the last year and the upcoming years.
In FY26, that budget, there will be 24 additional young women who will be served via this expansion.
It's a program that started in Brooklyn and is going to be expanded to Queens and the Bronx.
FY27, there is also 0.8 million CTL being added into that budget.
ACES, which is a program, it's the only ROCA program that exists in the city.
It's an extremely important program for heavily street-involved young people.
It's one of the only of its kind in the city.
We have expanded that program so that 400 more young people will be able to take part in that.
FY27, $7 million of CTL has been dedicated to that program, and in 28, $7 million also.