Syracuse mayor backs direct Raise the Age funding for youth groups

Syracuse Mayor Sharon F. Owens joined the mayors of Albany and Rochester in pressing state lawmakers to let part of New York’s Raise the Age money flow directly to community groups instead of moving only through county reimbursement systems.

The push centers on a proposed Youth Justice Innovation Fund that would be administered by the Division of Criminal Justice Services and distributed to community-based organizations. Supporters say that would move money faster to violence-prevention programs, alternatives to detention and incarceration, reentry services, and education and job-training efforts for young people up to age 25.

The issue has become urgent because the current process is leaving money underused. A May 22, 2025 report from the Office of the State Comptroller said New York had appropriated $1.71 billion for Raise the Age through state fiscal 2025, but only $658.8 million had been disbursed. Another summary put the share of appropriated money actually claimed at 39 percent.

For Syracuse, that bottleneck matters on the street level. Community groups that work with teens in the city and across Onondaga County often have to wait for reimbursement under the current system, which can delay hiring, programming and service expansion. The money is meant to help with diversion, probation and other services for 16- and 17-year-olds, but local leaders say a slower funding path can leave prevention work stretched thin just as cities are trying to steer more young people away from detention and incarceration.

The state budget keeps Raise the Age funding at $250 million for fiscal 2026, the same level as fiscal 2025. The budget office says the program supports state and local costs for comprehensive services for 16- and 17-year-olds in the juvenile justice system. New York raised the age of criminal responsibility to 17 on Oct. 1, 2018, and then to 18 on Oct. 1, 2019.

The proposal backed by the three mayors would supplement, not replace, existing probation funding. It would also expand the reach of Raise the Age dollars beyond county reimbursement, giving community organizations a faster route to money for youth development and violence prevention. Albany officials have argued that the current model leaves state money sitting unused, and Mayor Dorcey Applyrs has said prevention should be the focus.

For Syracuse, the debate is no longer just about budget mechanics in Albany. It is about whether the dollars meant to keep teens out of trouble reach the programs fast enough to matter.