A shelter and home for abused women in Woonsocket are located near a number of sex offenders, adding to safety concerns raised in a whistleblower lawsuit against a local nonprofit agency. Below is a breakdown of financial and safety concerns about the nonprofit’s program.
Related Slideshow: Sojourner House: Safety and Financial Issues
Proximity to sex offenders is among the concerns raised about the management of a local nonprofit dedicated to helping abused women. Below is a breakdown of concerns that have been raised about the safety and financial health of the program.
Just a few hundred feet away from a Woonsocket home for abused women lives a sex offender convicted of second-degree child molestation. Below are key facts and figures from this individual’s criminal history. (To protect the safety of the battered women’s home, his name, address, and other identifying information are being withheld.)
Child Molestation
Victim gender: male and female
Victim ages: Pre-teen and early teen
Risk of re-offending: “moderate”
Other Criminal Charges
Felony Assault with a Dangerous Weapon or Substance (no contest plea)
Offenses include: Sexual assault, first, second, and third degrees; child molestation, first and second degrees; rape of a child with force, indecent assault and battery, failure to register
Source: Sex Offender Community Notification Unit of the Rhode Island Parole Board
Typical state buffers around schools and other kid-frequented areas like parks and playgrounds range widely. Below is a breakdown of the typical range in other states compared with Rhode Island.
Typical buffer minimum distance: 500
Typical buffer maximum distance: 2,500 feet
Rhode Island buffer: 300 feet (schools only)
Source: American Bar Association, Rhode Island General Laws
Members of a community will not always be notified if a sex offender has moved into the neighborhood. Even then, not all residents will necessarily be notified. Rhode Island General Laws 11-37.1-12 sets forth the following guidelines for notification:
If risk of re-offense is low, law enforcement agencies and any individuals identified in accordance with the parole board guidelines shall be notified;
If risk of re-offense is moderate, organizations in the community likely to encounter the person registered shall be notified in accordance with the parole board's guidelines, in addition to the notice required by subdivision (1) of this subsection;
If risk of re-offense is high, the members of the public likely to encounter the person registered shall be notified through means in accordance with the parole board's guidelines designed to reach members of the public likely to encounter the person registered, in addition to the notice required by subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection.
“Sojourner House insisted on purchasing a particular property at a questionable if not outright dangerous location in Woonsocket in a manner that was in conflict with the terms of a federal transitional housing grant from an individual by the name of Harilaos Apazidis, who has apparently recently been convicted of bank fraud for obtaining loans to do repairs on properties that he did not actually own. It is believed that this purchase was orchestrated primarily by Sojourner House Barbara Scanlon, who happens to be a real estate agent.”
—Attorney Nicholas Gelfuso, in court filings for former Sojourner House employee Lisa Fisher
A December 2009 site visit report from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Violence Against Women found that Sojourner House had not properly administered a federal grant, that its former executive director had misused funds, and that the nonprofit was not financially stable. Sojourner House’s board reports its members “have made contact with the FBI regarding a criminal investigation”
“An application was submitted to Rhode Island Housing to pay off the mortgage on the property, which was granted in February 2010 on the condition that Sojourner House apply for funding through Woonsocket and that Sojourner House approach the bank and develop a workout plan with Freedom National and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston."
“It was agreed that the Board president and members of the Board would approach the bank and present financials, disclose the situation, and develop in good faith a work out plan with the bank. According to the former interim executive director, no work out plan was requested or discussed, and no work out plan was requested or discussed.”
—Attorney Nicholas Gelfuso, initial complaint in lawsuit filed on behalf of Lisa Fisher, former Sojourner House employee
An audit for fiscal year 2009, found Sojourner House had a “significant decrease in net assets, is experiencing cash flow problems, has two debt covenant violations and the funding for one of its federal grants has been suspended.” The report also noted the nonprofit had suffered a $232,305 reduction in net assets and had no contingencies for four former employee complaints. Overall, the report identified a dozen “material weaknesses in internal control over major federal award programs.”
The Office of Violence Against Women issues a letter noting that while there have been no findings of fraud, federal authorities have identified “major financial issues” at Sojourner House. The nonprofit is ordered to refund $35,122.50 in federal grant money, an amount that represents $7,610.15 in unallowable expenditures and $27,512.25 that did not have sufficient supporting documentation.
“Sojourner House Executive Director Vanessa Volz asked [Lisa] Fisher to solicit sprinkler bids for work that had already been completed in connection with a community development block grant which the agency had received.”
Fisher “challenged the need for the bids and complained about the task to Ms. Volz and other staff (including the bookkeeper who was on staff at the time), rather than simply completing the assignment she had been given, namely, solicit fake bids for work that had already been done, otherwise known as fraud.”
Lisa Fisher was fired from Sojourner House in December 2011. According to both Fisher and officials at Sojourner House, the termination came after months of a rocky working relationship between Fisher and several coworkers. In legal filings, Sojourner House claimed that Fisher “often had to be asked several times before she completed tasks delegated to her.”
On November 27, 2012, Lisa Fisher filed a charge of discrimination with the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights. Fisher alleged that her termination was based on her color, illness, and age, as well as her questioning of the sprinkler bids assignment.
According to a lawsuit filed by Lisa Fisher and her attorney, her termination stemmed from her questioning “the need for the bids on contracts for work that had already been completed and complain[ing] about having to perform the task to Vanessa Volz and other staff, including the bookkeeper.”
“Plaintiff was subsequently terminated based on her 'job performance' and 'failure to complete tasks,’” the complaint continued. “The above actions are in violation of the Rhode Island Whistleblowers’ Protection Act R.I.G.L. 28-50-1 et al. and plaintiff demands all relief available thereunder.”
The lawsuit was amended, adding charges of defamation, right to privacy, breach of contract, and civil conspiracy to the charge of violating the Whistleblower Protection Act. On June 11, Judge Joseph Montalbano denied Sojourners' House motion for final judgment, allowing the lawsuit to proceed.
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