Mass layoff raises questions about Lincoln Hall’s future in Somers

SOMERS, N.Y. - Lincoln Hall, a residential school in Somers that houses unaccompanied immigrant minors, plans to lay off 123 employees in early April, according to a document filed with the state Department of Labor.

The reason cited, “closure.”

According to one source, that would leave the facility with just a “skeleton” staff.

Lincoln Hall executive director Vincent Madera told Halston Media this week that the nonprofit was declining to comment at this time.

DOL spokesperson Okoye Davis could only confirm Wednesday the information that was submitted when Lincoln Hall notified the agency on Jan. 6 of its decision to conduct a mass layoff at the facility – as required under a federal law, known as the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.

The law states that employers must provide 60 days’ prior written notice to employees, their representatives, and certain government parties, in the event of significant layoffs or plant closings.

Lincoln Hall listed “closure” in the filing as the reason, “permanent” as the duration of the layoffs, and "123" as the number of affected workers.

Exactly what that meant for the future of the school itself couldn’t be immediately determined.

PAST AND PRESENT

Children are placed there through the Unaccompanied Alien Children program, which is part of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), a part of the U.S. Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families.

Detained at the southern border by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), they stay at Lincoln Hall until their claims for entry in the U.S. are resolved or until they can be released to their relatives or sponsors.

About a dozen years ago, Lincoln Hall had been mainly a safe haven for troubled boys who came to it through the juvenile justice system.

In 2012, however, it switched gears and became licensed to also care for about 100 unaccompanied minors – ages 12 through 18.

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. The average stay is 43 days.

Family members or sponsors must also undergo a vetting process before a youth can be released to their care. If for some reason a family member or sponsor can’t be found, the children will eventually be transferred to a foster family or group home or returned to their home country.

It couldn’t be determined Wednesday 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.