Rep. Williams, John Hope Settlement House Barred from Receiving Federal Funds
Wednesday, October 07, 2015
The John Hope Settlement House -- along with Board Chair Representative Anastasia Williams -- have been disqualified from further participation in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) for program mismanagement, according to recent ruling from the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE).
RIDE issued the ruling on September 29 after finding the "absence of any documentation to establish that the CACFP funds were expended in support of the Program but rather evidence that the monies were spent improperly for non-food program items."
CACFP, which run by the USDA and administered by RIDE, provides child and adult care institutions and family or group day care homes for the "provision of nutritious foods that contribute to the wellness, healthy growth, and development of young children," according to the USDA.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST[RIDE] Commissioner's office ordered last week that it was the decision by RIDE to "terminate the JHSH’s agreement of participation in the CACFP and to disqualify the JHSH, Board Chairperson Anastasia Williams and Board Treasurer Walter Morgan from further participation in the CACFP) is affirmed" and "that the joint petition of the JHSH, Board Chairperson Anastasia Williams and Board Treasurer Walter Morgan appealing RIDE’s decision to terminate their agreement of participation and their disqualification in the CACFP is denied and dismissed."
Oversight Called into Light
The issue of documentation of CACFP funds came to light in the fall of 2014, which RIDE references in their September 29 ruling.
"A site visit and records review was conducted by a RIDE child nutrition program administrator. This visit and review yielded a serious deficiency determination and issuance of a formal notice dated February 4, 20141 finding that: (1) JHSH received $35,343.67 in USDA reimbursements for meals served between January 1 through June 30, 2013, for which no documentation was available for purposes of verifying that these monies were expended exclusively for program operations; (2) the absence of any documentation to establish that the CACFP funds were expended in support of the Program but rather evidence that the monies were spent improperly for non-food program items."
Furthermore, RIDE cited a second deficiency, it which it found that "$4,605.80 was received from RIDE and deposited in the CACFP account on July 24, 2014. This sum was the exact amount paid by RIDE to JHSH on June 1. Although $7,091.86 had been paid by RIDE to JHSH during the months of July, August and September 2014, none of that sum had been deposited into the CACFP account."
Appeals Denied
RIDE had given JHSH the opportunity to remedy the findings, but in March 2015 issued a notice of termination and disqualification, citing "JHSH’s failure to produce receipts and records for verification of proper expenditure of CACFP funds and to develop and adequately implement internal control policies. Moreover, RIDE found that although a separate CACFP account had been opened, the account records did not show any expenses related to the CACFP for the period July to November 2014."
Moreover, RIDE noted "JHSH has not at any time tendered an objection to RIDE’s notice of serious deficiency, nor at any time has JHSH disputed the content of RIDE’s findings of serious deficiencies either informally or by a timely request for administrative review.
More Issues for John Hope
In 2014, allegations of financial mismanagement were made against Williams by a previous Executive Director, which Williams denied.
DCYF found a number of safety violations at the House in September 2014; critics of the handling of the House were turned away from a board meeting last December.
Related Slideshow: John Hope—Safety Violation Pics
The group Concerned Citizens for John Hope Settlement House brought the following pictures dealing with lack of safety to the attention of the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families.
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- INVESTIGATION: John Hope Settlement House Under Investigation by State Police
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- Rep. Williams Fires Back at John Hope Settlement Critics
