Gaston describes overcapacity, sleeping arrangements, and construction

While our goal is to reduce the number of young people in detention, we must also ensure youth receive the highest quality of care in the safest environment possible.

Horizon and Crossroads were built for younger youth with shorter lengths of stay,

and to have 123 and 122 bedrooms respectively.

With a census of 352 youth, this means that currently we have more young people than bedrooms and have had to identify alternative housing options.

Every young person, including those not assigned to an individual bedroom, has a bed with full bedding and a place to store their belongings.

Most of these youth sleep in the common area of the hall for which they are assigned.

While a smaller number sleep in classrooms or in the chapel until an appropriate hall can be identified.

Every youth, regardless of sleeping arrangement, has access to education, recreation, programming, case management, and hygiene.

The census also impacts the availability of space for programming, services, education,

and workforce development, as well as safe movement throughout the facilities.

Thanks to the Mamdani's administration commitment to improving the quality of care, ACS and the Department of Design and Construction, DDC,

are also in the process of expediting the completion of an annex at Horizon and auxiliary housing at Crossroads.

Construction of the Horizon Annex is underway and with the expedited timeline should be completed by the end of 2027 rather than the previously anticipated 2029.

The Horizon Annex will include 56 bedrooms, 8 classrooms including 2 trade workshops,

an industrial kitchen, multiple dining areas, a secondary health clinic, and a new three-story exercise pavilion.

ACS is also working with DDC on the plans to construct auxiliary housing at Crossroads, which will add 28 bedrooms and two classrooms.

Over the summer, ACS worked with the School Construction Authority to expedite the addition of trailers to create two new classrooms at Crossroads.

ACS is incredibly appreciative of the efforts made to bring these online so quickly and look forward to the new classrooms opening in the next few weeks.

I want to be clear that this is not a situation where if we build it, they will come.

While we are working across systems to divert, prevent, and serve youth outside of detention, the fact of the matter is we are currently over capacity.

It is our obligation to ensure that youth who are already in our care have access to quality services.

That is what these projects aim to do.