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ALBANY, NY — Congressman Paul D. Tonko today announced the awarding of a $1,265,909 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to LaSalle School in Albany to support its short-term residential shelter program that provides transitional foster care and related services to unaccompanied children in Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) custody in the Capital Region. This award, which comes from ORR and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), will assist LaSalle in addressing the material and emotional needs of this vulnerable population as they begin to settle in our local communities.

“The transition to a new life in an unfamiliar country is always a challenging undertaking, but this process is especially difficult for unaccompanied children,” Congressman Tonko said. “Besides the material challenges, including difficulty accessing basic needs like food, clothing, and medical care, many of these children have unmet emotional needs related to a desire to reunify with their families or to traumas they may have endured in their countries of origin. This significant grant award will enable LaSalle School to continue providing excellent services that this vulnerable population desperately needs, ranging from case management and individualized counseling to transportation services and daily academic instruction. Thanks to this federal assistance, our Capital Region will continue to serve as a safe and welcoming environment for these new Americans in the most difficult of circumstances. I’m grateful to HHS, ACF, and ORR for supporting this critical program, and I extend my thanks and admiration to all at LaSalle who have stepped up to engage in this important work.”

“Since its doors opened 170 years ago, the LaSalle School’s mission has been focused on providing a safe, nurturing environment for children in need,” said David Wallace, Executive Director of LaSalle School. “Today, that mission remains – and is expanded to extend its protection and support for children who are new arrivals to the United States. Our goal is to unite them with family residing in the U.S. – thus far more than 70 since accepting youth into our program in June 2023. Congressman Tonko has supported our efforts, been on our campus, and recognizes the important work that is taking place – we are grateful for his confidence and advocacy.”

In FY 2022, LaSalle School was awarded an ORR grant to set up a short-term residential shelter program to meet the acute needs of unaccompanied children settling in the Capital Region. This program, which can accommodate up to 16 children between the ages of 12 and 17, provides a safe and nurturing environment for unaccompanied youth as well as a variety of clinical, educational, and other support services. These services include individualized medical care from local providers, at least 6 hours of educational instruction each weekday, adaptation assistance, recreation, case management, group and individual counseling, legal and religious services, and much more.

Founded in 1854 to serve abandoned and orphaned boys, LaSalle School is a multifaceted human services agency that provides a wide range of community and campus-based therapeutic, educational, and supportive services designed to bring lasting change in the lives of youth and families in need. On any given day, their programs serve more than 150 youth and their families across the Capital Region.

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