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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. By John F. Bailey. December 9, 2004: As reported by WPCNR at noon yesterday, the County Executive officially is taking over to try and broker a deal on the Grace Church Samaritan House controversy by sending his Deputy County Executive Larry Schwartz to yesterday’s mystery meeting on Samaritan House, that was closed to the press. However the County Executive has not stated one way or another whether he feels Samaritan House should remain open or close, for want of $222,000. WPCNR has requested a statement from County Executive Spano on the matter.
Meanwhile, County Legislator William Ryan appears to have found that money, and then sum in the County Board of Legislators’ surplus budget.
SCHWARTZ HOLDS THE DOOR: WPCNR surveillance shows Larry Schwartz, Deputy County Executive, holding the door for D.S.S. Brass entering Grace Church Annex for the Mystery Meeting. Photo by WPCNR News.
Tolchin denied the County Executive and Deputy County Executive were going to participate in the “Mystery Meeting” as reported by WPCNR three hours before the meeting was to take place yesterday, when Reverend Janet Vincent of Grace Church revealed to WPCNR that the top two County Leaders were going to attend. Tolchin said yesterday at noon “it was not on the calendar.”
ENTER SCHWARTZ: Deputy County Executive, Larry Schwartz personally leading an entourage of Department of Social Services brass in a pedestrian procession from the County office building yesterday afternoon down Main Street and down Church Street, arriving at 3:40 P.M., for the Mystery Meeting that County Executive Chief Advisor Susan Tolchin would not confirm Wednesday noon. Photo by WPCNR News.
Ms. Tolchin reported to WPCNR last night after the meeting that was “not on the calendar” that “The meeting was positive and productive, and will be followed up.”
However, no date for the next “Mystery Meeting” was set, according to Tolchin last night.
Ryan: County Legislators Have the Money to Save Samaritan House
Meanwhile the intrigue surrounding the closing of Samaritan House or the continuing of Samaritan House continues, but County Legislator William Ryan has quite by accident isolated a source for funding the $237,000 needed to keep Samaritan House going.
County Legislator William Ryan. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.
Ryan and his spokesperson Gary Kriss have not returned WPCNR calls requesting details on his efforts to resolve the Samaritan House survival issue.
However, Mr. Ryan has the money. Mr. Ryan has reported to the media that the County Board is trimming its raises for each member of the County Board of Legislators, and that the County Board has under-spent its own budget by $312,000 – more than enough to fund the $222,000 give or take some thousands, that Samaritan House says it needs from D.S.S. to continue operations.
The figure has been reported at various times by Grace Community Services Executive Director Joseph D’Ambrosio to be $50,000, $300,000 or $222,000.
Mr. D’Ambrosio has not returned a WPCNR call to clarify the exact dollar amount, and why he was so confused over what his organization needed.
However, the good news is the money is there, according to County Legislator Ryan’s statements to other media.
Ryan Says County has $27 Million Surplus.
To make matters more rosey for Samaritan House, the County Executive office is reporting the county will enjoy a $27 Million surplus at the end of this year, so the money to keep Samaritan House going, pending an examination in detail of its operations, if the Department of Social Services feels that is in order, is there.
Mr. Ryan reconfirmed that statement about the $27 Million suplus in a media report out today. The county is also on record as providing a $30 Million bail out for the alleged mismanaged Westchester County Medical Center.
Why the Mystery? Is Cutting Staff O.K.?
WPCNR requested last week through the Department of Communications an interview with Kevin Mahon, Commissioner of the Department of Social Services as to why the Department feels Samaritan House has to justify its price increases. Samaritan House has had its rent raised by $70,000 by Grace Church, which indirectly operates the House through its subsidiary, Grace Community Services.
WPCNR was told by staunch advocates of the wonderful work Samaritan House does, that this was to make up the shortfall caused by staffing 9 persons to handle the 19-woman capacity of Samaritan House, when the shelter does not serve that capacity most of the year.
A request by WPCNR of Reverend Vincent for the number of clients it serves was met by the answer that she did not know.
Staff is Now Cut.
However, Samaritan House has been operating with three persons, 2 during the day and 1 at night, and a 4th person brought in from Open Arms, the Grace Community Services’ other homeless center for men.
Samaritan House is currently being allowed to continue operating with less than “required” staff. Apparently, the Department of Social Services is allowing them to operate the shelter at the level of three persons when they have 14 persons living there. Operating at reduced staff is apparently legal.
What does Department of Social Services Still Want?
The Mystery Meetings are mysterious because all the Department of Social Services wanted according to media reports, (D.S.S. has never returned WPCNR requests for comment), was for Samaritan House and Grace Community Church to justify the costs of their requested increases.
Grace Community Church has refused to do so.
The Department of Social Services has not accused Samaritan House and Grace Community Church of any wrong doing, though Grace Community Church has had significant bookkeeping problems in the past in their Day Care Program, as recent as 2002.
WPCNR asked the Department of Communications for details from the Department of Social Services on this Day Care Program problem and have not received any statements on those details, though the Day Care Director at the time, acknowledged to WPCNR that the errors happened and the over-billing was paid back.
Samaritan House Performance Numbers Requested.
WPCNR also asked the Department of Communications for details on the average stay of persons at Samaritan House. WPCNR asked how many persons had been rehabilitated and sent back into productive stable on-their-own living situations over the last several years. WPCNR has yet to receive those numbers from the Department of Communications.
The county’s new partner in placing the homeless back into productive, contributing lives, Pathways to Housing, an independent contractor with the Department of Social Services has had a great track record in placing homeless persons around the county and keeping them placed.
Requests by WPCNR with the Department of Communications for Pathways to Housing numbers and placements of Samaritan House residents have also been requested, presuming Pathways to Housing has been given Samaritan House residents to place.
Residents Continue to Seek Warm Place for January 1. 14 Working Days Left.
Today’s date is December 9. Samaritan House has scattered its staff, having already fired six of its reported “required” staff for its mandated 19 capacity. Residents have 22 days, 14 working days to find new shelter before the cold fist of winter grips White Plains.
Residents of Samaritan House continue be assigned appointments to find them alternative housing as of January 1. Residents are at this time scheduled for appointments with the county Intake Assessment Center. This would appear to mean that the Department of Social Services and the Samaritan House are in a decommissioning scenario.