Somers' Lincoln Hall at a crossroads as layoff notice cites possible closure

SOMERS, N.Y. - Somers Supervisor Robert Scorrano took to social media recently to offer some clarification on the Lincoln Hall situation.

Last month, Halston Media learned that the residential school for unaccompanied immigrant minors had filed a notice under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act stating that it intended to lay off 123 employees.

Department of Labor documents listed the reason cited as “closure.”

Lincoln Hall executive director Vincent Madera declined to comment at the time.

DOL spokesperson Okoye Davis could only confirm then that Lincoln Hall had notified the agency on Jan. 6 of its decision to conduct a mass layoff at the facility – as required by federal law.

Referring to the notice in his Facebook post, Scorrano wrote that it states that “Lincoln Hall may be in the position of closing programming and operations as a result of the end of its contract with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The document identifies the expiration of that federal contract as the cause of the anticipated reduction in force.”

In late January, Halston Media was told by the ORR, which is part of the Administration for Children and Families, that it “does not comment on its grant recipients.”

He went on to say that the WARN notice outlined “two phases” of potential job eliminations, one by April 6 and the next by June 30.

According to Scorrano, the filing “classifies the action as a ‘plant closing’ and states the closure is expected to be permanent.”

“Those classifications are part of the required WARN disclosure when an employer anticipates a qualifying reduction tied to a contract ending,” he added.

The notice does not, however, “cite financial insolvency, regulatory enforcement, or any action by the Town of Somers as the cause,” Scorrano wrote.

The supervisor told Halston Media that he continues to maintain “close communications” with the privately operated, nonprofit facility and he intends to share “additional updates” with the public “if official information changes.”

“Lincoln Hall has indicated that fewer than 10 employees have left since the notice was issued, and those departures were voluntary,” he said in the post, emphasizing that “decision regarding ORR contracts and placements are made at the federal level.”

Since things appear to be in "a holding pattern," the town is currently taking a "wait-and-see" attitude, Scorrano said.

PAST AND PRESENT

In 2023, financial considerations had forced the haven for underserved and vulnerable youths to pause one of its longstanding programs through which it had accepted placements from the New York Family Court System.

It pivoted to focusing exclusively on its contract with the ORR, which allowed it to continue to house unaccompanied children who’d been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after crossing the southern border illegally.

Lincoln Hall first became licensed to care for up to 100 such children – ages 12 through 18 – in 2012. Many of them come from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico and may already have relatives in the U.S.

It’s the ORR’s responsibility to provide food, shelter, and education to these youths until they can be reunited with family members or sponsors.

Back then, between the state and the federal programs, Lincoln Hall had employed about 200 people. That number went down to approximately 140 folks due to the transition.

It couldn’t be determined how many youngsters remained at Lincoln Hall’s 454-acre campus, which is located off Route 202 in the hamlet of Lincolndale.

The property contains more than two dozen buildings, including vocational/academic schools, a 300-seat auditorium, a dining hall, gymnasium, swimming pool, and athletic fields.

Lincoln Hall has roots that date back to the late 19th century in Manhattan. It was founded to care for Civil War orphans and other destitute children.

It was established as an agricultural training school in 1907 and formally chartered under the name it’s known by today in 1939 by the state Legislature.