Annsville earns national honor, but fights for its life

By DEBORAH A. MILES
The good news is the Annsville Residential Center in Oneida County, a state Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) facility, was recently recognized as the first juvenile justice residential center in the nation to earn the distinction of being a Certified Sanctuary site.

You would think OCFS Commissioner Gladys Carrion, who has been pushing the Sanctuary program, would be proud of the Annsville staff and use their program as a model.

Instead, Carrion has targeted Annsville for closure.

“This is sheer hypocrisy,” said PEF President Ken Brynien. “The commissioner promotes a program that she believes will rehabilitate troubled youths. But when our members are honored for implementing a successful program, Carrion tries to empty the facility and put a deadbolt on its doors.”

PEF Division 334 Secretary-Treasurer Jane Wenham said the 16 members who work at the center are trying to keep it open.

“One of our members reached out to state Assembly Member David Townsend, who replied by e-mail he would do everything he could to keep Annsville open,” Wenham said.

Members also placed signs around the town that caught the interest of local residents and the media.
If Annsville were to close and merge with its’ neighbor facility, Taberg, it would mean about half the Annsville staff would be out of their jobs.

Brynien said the staff that may be lost are the ones trained and experienced with the Sanctuary program.

“We think Gladys Carrion is just trying to make us look bad, despite the fact we earned the honor of being the only certified Sanctuary site in the country.

“The staff here provides education, structure and a safe environment. We take these youths out of neighborhood gangs, where they are a threat to communities. They have carried guns and knives. Here, they go to school every day and learn essential life skills,” Wenham said.

Wenham also said the OCFS human resources representative was supposed to have more meetings with the staff at Annsville and Taberg to let everyone know where they stand.

“They haven’t been back,” Wenham said.

“Right now, we have only two youths at Annsville. OCFS does not seem to be sending any more. Before you know it, it will be zero, and then it will be closed.”

PEF is running ads and lobbying lawmakers to keep Annsville open, and stop the closure of the boys program at Tryon and downsizing the Lansing Non-Secure Residential Facility.