William Gettman Jr., Northern Rivers’s chief executive officer, stands before a mural painted by former residents of the foster-care facility in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Schenectady that will also house 16- and 17-year-olds in a separate, specialized program under Raise the Age. The program, called New Directions, is licensed to house eight 16-year-old girls placed there by the Family Court under the new legislation that went into effect in New York State last October, but the beds so far remain empty. Gettman explained there are 13 of these facilities, and so far a total of only 20 residents, across the state.
Credit: Elizabeth Floyd Mair