Nearly nine in ten employees at the Cayuga Centers site in East Harlem that cares for unaccompanied migrant children were told this week that roughly 87% of the location's staff will be laid off. Staffers and advocates warn the cuts could upend daily care and casework for children who are in federal custody.
As reported by Crain's New York Business, the nonprofit notified workers Wednesday that about 87% of employees at its Park Avenue location are slated to lose their jobs. According to Crain's, the reductions hit frontline caregivers, program coordinators and administrative staff who support foster placements and other services for children in federal custody, with written notices going out this week.
Agency history and recent reductions
Cayuga Centers, a more-than-170-year-old child-welfare nonprofit, lists foster care and "Unaccompanied Children Services" among its programs and operates multiple sites in New York. Local reporting and state WARN filings show the agency scaled back operations last year amid what it described as funding shortfalls, with more than 200 roles cut across New York and Florida, according to FingerLakes1 and state WARN notices. The Park Avenue site has appeared in prior state filings as a Cayuga performance location.
Advocates warn of care disruptions
Attorneys and advocates who have represented families with children housed in Cayuga-run placements say staffing instability can have real consequences, including longer-than-expected stays and limited family contact. That pattern is described in court filings and in reporting that found some children spent months in Cayuga custody while sponsors and parents waited for vetting, per Courthouse News. Advocates say the newly announced cuts sharpen concerns about how care continuity will be preserved.
What happens next
It is not yet clear how the layoffs will affect federal or city placements or whether contracts and active cases will be shifted to other providers. The Office of Refugee Resettlement, which oversees placement and custody for unaccompanied children, could be involved in any transition; see ORR for program responsibilities. Crain's New York Business reports Cayuga has not yet publicly detailed how it will maintain services, and the organization did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
