MONTICELLO – At a press conference on Monday, March 24, Hope Alive 845 founder Domingo Ramos called on New York Governor Kathy Hochul to address systemic issues related to missing children and runaways from residential facilities.

Ramos highlighted the increasing number of children who flee from state-run facilities, questioning why they are often returned to the same places only to run away again. 

“A child is placed in a facility for a reason,” Ramos said. “They need care, compassion, and support to set them on the right path—not to be caught in a cycle of running away.”

He urged the Governor to review policies governing these facilities, emphasizing that the system is broken and needs immediate reform.

Hope Alive 845, a non-profit organization, has been operating in the area to assist in locating missing people since 2017.

The Hope Alive Act

A key focus of the press conference was the introduction of the Hope Alive Act, a proposed bill designed to streamline the response to missing children in New York. The bill would:

Allow law enforcement and verified organizations faster access to school records when a child is reported missing, reducing delays caused by legal hurdles.

Require schools to flag missing children’s records and promptly notify the Division of Criminal Justice Services.

Ensure that information is shared only with authorized parties to protect the child’s safety and privacy during an investigation.

Ramos emphasized that time is critical in locating missing children and that bureaucratic delays can be the difference between life and death.

A call for action

During his speech, Ramos criticized the lack of attention given to missing persons and human trafficking in recent state addresses. He pointed out that over 25,000 people are missing in New York State, with 5,000 runaways from facilities alone.

“We need solutions to lower the risk of children running away,” Ramos said. “That starts with more compassion, better facility policies, and stronger collaboration between schools, law enforcement, and organizations like ours.”

Community support and free prevention program

Ramos expressed gratitude to local law enforcement agencies—including the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department and police departments in Monticello, Liberty, Port Jervis, and Middletown—for their partnership with Hope Alive 845.

He also introduced a free prevention program aimed at educating schools, families, and facilities on the risks of running away and how to support at-risk youth.

Closing his remarks, Ramos urged state officials to take immediate action. “Every day, someone goes missing. Every family deserves answers. It’s time for real change.”

Next steps

Hope Alive 845 is calling for an in-person meeting with Governor Hochul to discuss the bill and broader policies regarding missing persons. Ramos emphasized that addressing these issues is crucial to ensuring the safety of New York’s children.

For more information on Hope Alive 845 and their mission, they can be contacted at 845-866-0442 or emailed at hopealive845@gmail.com.

“On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘I have a dream,” stated Ramos. “Today, March 24, 2025, I have a vision.”

“I’m in support of any bill that will help us find lost or exploited children,” stated Sullivan County Sheriff Mike Schiff. “In this County we work very closely with our Law Enforcement partners and we have an aggressive DA’s [District Attorney’s] Office, but this is something that will affect us state-wide. Any little bit of information you can get from a different agency can be the piece that solves that puzzle,” he said.

“I would ask Governor Hochul, I would ask the [New York State] Assembly, I would ask the Senate to take a close look at this and try to improve our standing with this.”