News from the Continuum

Revised: December 2018

By Sarah Owens and Michael Livingston

Three Senior Execs Departed since January

MWVCAA continues to bleed top-tier managers.

Next week, Jimmy Jones assumes the role of Interim Executive Director, following the resignation of Deputy Director/Interim Executive Director, Cyndi Leinassar.  Leinassar's departure closely follows that of her boss, Executive Director Jon Reeves, just months after he announced the resignation of CFO Carol Matteson, last January. 

The shake-up comes amidst difficulties two years in a row meeting deadlines for the annual agency audit, and the audits themselves revealing deficiencies relating directly to a lack of internal controls.  As a consequence,  40% of the federal funds MWVCAA receives over the next two budget cycles will have to be audited, which process may uncover additional problems.  Staff turnover and implementation of a new payroll system have been cited as factors.  The agency has a budget of around $28M, about 60% of which is federally funded.  An annual audit is required by both the state and federal governments.  This is not the first time the agency has had difficulty in this area.  Despite being a creature of statute that by law is funded almost entirely by government (state, federal and local), MWVCAA is considered a private entity and, with limited exceptions, is shielded from having to make its financial records, reports, or outcome data available to the public.            

Jimmy Jones and Ashley Hamilton at ARCHES

Community Resources Director Jimmy Jones's elevation to the head of the agency perhaps could have come at a worse time (middle of winter, say), but it will be a challenge nonetheless, given that his new day shelter just opened and is still under construction, the City is expecting him to open their sobering center by November and his expertise lies elsewhere, not in the management of a large agency with financial issues, whose major program area is early childhood education.  Filling in for Jones while he's at the Center Street office will be ARCHES Project Program Manager, Ashley Hamilton.

There was quite a turnout for the official "soft opening" of The ARCHES Project's new day shelter on Tuesday, the unofficial "soft opening" having occurred the previous Tuesday, as reported here.

In addition to the people who were there just to have a place to go, there were a number of dignitaries, including Sen. Pete Courtney, Mayor Bennett, Councilors Andersen and Lewis, Municipal Judge Jane Aiken, City Manager Steve Powers, Housing Authority Administrator Andy Wilch, Evan Source (for Rep. Paul Evans) and MWVCAA Board Member Herm Boes.  Exec. Directors Dan Clem (UGM) and Chris Simpson (Recovery Outreach Community Center) were also present, along with Brent DeMoe, Director of Family and Community Outreach for Polk County.    
 

Mayor Bennett at The ARCHES Project Day Shelter "Soft Opening" Ceremony

There were several speeches (Courtney, Bennett, Boes), mostly urging the need for shelters and services (including the yet-to-be-constructed sobering center) delivered rather as if the room was not filled with supporters, providers, clients and consumers, about half of whom were waiting patiently for the other half to leave, and were spoken of rather as if they were not there.  "So," observed a friend, "it seems the homeless remain invisible, even when they're in the same room."