We Just Didn't Know

μουνί

Anything but capitulation tempers the grinding works of Austin City Council & Stephanie Hayden [LMSW] of Austin Public Health Department with the NEW contract for the City’s Homeless Shelter, which was again awarded to managing contractor Front Steps on Thursday January 31st, 2019. Sadly, the methodology of forth coming changes are anything but completely transparent in addition to the Front Steps non-profit organization being reluctant to change their behavior which has been more destructive than helpful over the last 7 to 8 years. In a February 6th, 2019 staff meeting, ARCH Executive Director Greg McCormack continued the organization’s old ways of minimizing the City’s directives as usual.

During the Jan. 31st City Council meeting District 9 Councilwoman Kathy Tovo was both adamant and thorough with regards to last minute contract amendments in addition to a resolution brought forward by Austin City Council Member Ann Kitchen concerning the future vision of Austin’s Homeless services. Before the Council vote, Councilwoman Tovo appeared to make eye contact directly with the attending staff of Front Steps as she detailed new expectations required by the City.

Less than a week later ARCH Executive Director Greg McCormack began to undermined Councilwoman Kathy Tovo’s direct and unmistakable layout. The City of Austin requires Front Steps, upon signing the city’s contract, to pay it’s agency’s employees the city’s living wage of $15 per hour. In the Spring of 2018 McCormack increased his own pay by $40k after assuming the Executive Director of the ARCH from his predecessor Mitchell Gibbs after only holding the position for a couple of months. McCormack communicated to his staff during the meeting, “It is something we’ll work towards.” Completely unacceptable! All the while, Front Steps IRS 990, Executive, and Administrative compensation amounts are under investigation.

The Continuum of Care (CoC) [2009] is the blanket format for which Austin’s Homeless and housing programs are supposed to be operating under. As of at least a year ago, the ENDING COMMUNITY HOMELESS COALITION (ECHO) headed by Executive Director Ann Howard, became the lead-agency over Austin’s non-profit human services. The curriculum contained with the CoC sets forth an obvious and unmistakable outline in the continuity of care for persons experiencing homelessness. With ECHO being the lead-agency, they are the primary institution to administering and enforcement of such standards within the community along with the City of Austin [under Federal funding requirements] for holding Front Steps accountable. Quoting ARCH Executive Director Greg McCormack in a Fox 7 interview with Casey Claiborne on Jan. 31th, Greg stated, “that level of help for those who stay there (ARCH) wasn’t required before, just encouraged”. This represents, from the top down how the City of Austin has let these agencies run a “Racketeering Ring” of a revolving door between housing and services to rival some of the most hideous criminals of our time to include Bernie Madoff. ECHO has been the façade which has resulted the failure of Austin’s homeless crisis often covering up details to salvage HUD funding.

In the Spring of 2018, several ARCH staff and clients approached the City of Austin’s Public Health with regards to years of controversy within the Front Steps organization. The group had brought forth to the city details of many criminal elements within Front Steps to include inappropriate/exploitation of ARCH Clients by staff. In return, the Public Health exposed the Whistleblowers to Front Steps and caused discord within their employment. Several of former Front Steps employees have current TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION complaints with one employee being instructed by the Commissioners to re-file. Upon submission of the claim, that employee was awarded in his complaint against Front Steps. There have been many TWFC claims awarded against Front Steps brought under wrongful employment conduct and other discrepancies.

The changes that are to come about start April 1st, 2019 to include a report from Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk due by May and full implementation of an additional shelter by the end of September 2019. The options include a fabric membrane structure or an existing building on city property. Immediate details about the April change-over are very vague at this time.