Front Page  »  

SLO council considering grant money for CAPSLO

February 5, 2013
Dee Torres asks the San Luis Obispo City Council to approve more aggressive treatment of the homeless who do not enter case management.

Dee Torres asks the San Luis Obispo City Council to approve more aggressive treatment of the homeless who do not enter case management.

The San Luis Obispo City Council will consider giving more than $200,000 Tuesday evening to the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo.

As part of a yearly Community Development Block Grant, from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the council has $506,588 to disperse. The city Human Relations Commission is recommending that the council give $125,988 of the grant funds to CAPSLO, which has been accused of participating in a program that has resulted in homeless clients’ money being embezzled.

The commission is also recommending that the council give $98,700 in general fund money to CAPSLO since the nonprofit requested more money for the Maxine Lewis Homeless Shelter than HUD guidelines allow the city to disperse.

$50,000 of the grant money would go to CAPSLO’s proposed homeless campus.

The council recently requested that attorneys Stew Jenkins and Saro Rizzo give CAPSLO more than $65,000 of the money awarded to them for their successful lawsuit on behalf of the homeless. Jenkins and Rizzo rejected the offer.

 

Council Vacancy

The San Luis Obispo City Council will decide Tuesday evening how to proceed with its process of filling the vacancy created by Councilman Andrew Carter’s announcement of his intent to resign.

The council must appoint a candidate within 30 days of the vacancy or hold an election between 90 and 150 days after Carter steps down. Carter said he plans to vacate his seat on February 20 in order to become the city manager of Guadalupe.

If the council proceeds with the appointment process, candidates will have to submit applications and then will each receive five minutes to state their case before the council at a special meeting. If the council opts for an election or fails to appoint a candidate, it will cost the city about $65,000.

In 2010, the council appointed Dan Carpenter to fill Mayor Jan Marx’s vacant council seat. Carpenter had just finished a close third in the general election for council. In the 2012 election, Jeff Aranguena finished a distant third, followed by Kevin Rice.

Rice has already announced his candidacy for Carter’s seat, and Aranguena is expected to do the same.

The council will meet this evening at 6 p.m.

 


Loading...
Subjects:                 
Related:


31 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

The City needs to put this money on hold until a thorough audit has been conducted.


0

Yowzer.


0

I’ll begin by saying that I started to respond to each and every false accusation in the previous story may people are blogging about here, but there are so many I will sum up my comments as follows:


FACT – Cliff Anderson has not been consistently in CAPSLO services for four years, he has been in and out of our services for many years.


FACT – In 2010 Cliff Anderson was housed in one of our permanent housing units for a little over 7 months, this was the only time any CAPSLO staff person collected any money from Cliff. Our housing units are operated under strict guidelines and oversight which is funded mainly by HUD. All clients who live in the permanent housing units are required to pay 30% of their income towards rent, which is in turn forwarded to the master landlord. The other portion of their rent is paid from the federal HUD grants. Often times we are forced to turn to fundraising dollars which come from our community to cover differences between combined contributions from the government and client. The case management services which are provided to these clients are always free of charge to them, as well as all of our other services.


Fact – Cliff has never paid anything to CAPSLO case managers for any of the services he has received (except for those months that he paid rent for the apartment he was living in). All of the services provided to our clients are free of charge to them, unless their living in one of the apartment units and paying 30% of their income towards their rent.


FACT – CAPSLO is not Cliff’s payee, Family Ties receives his checks directly from the social security administration and disperses money to him each week. The money he receives is his to do with as he pleases, again CAPSLO staff do not receive one single cent of his or any other homeless clients money.


FACT – CAPSLO program staff are not now and never have been a payee for any homeless client in any of our services. In regards to Mr. Anderson, Family Ties is his payee and as such they receive his money directly from social security and in turn issue him checks. Lisa was misquoted in the article and stated to me that her answers were taken out of context. Family Ties is the payee for Cliff Anderson, there’s no disputing this in fact the article itself states it, “SSI records for Anderson list Family Ties as the recipient for his money.”


Fact- Case Management never retains any portion of a clients money. In fact, many case managed clients do not participate in any structured savings plan at all. While we do our best to provide clients with all of the core services possible in order for them to set aside as much of their income toward housing, many don’t. We require clients to save a portion of their income if they are asking to be placed on a priority bed status at the MLM Shelter. Priority bed status means that you are guaranteed a bed each night until you are housed. We require that you set aside a portion of your monthly income so that when housing is located there is money for rent and required deposits. Our goal is to enable client’s to eventually be able to find and afford housing.


Fact – CAPSLO clients who have chosen to participate in our case management program and as such be placed on a priority bed status, have been depositing a portion of their income with Family Ties since January 1997 and to date no client has ever brought an accusation of mismanaging of funds to either entity. To date their have been no complaints filed with either CAPSLO or Family Ties. Both agencies are audited routinely and many systems are in place to ensure funds are saved and allocated appropriately.


Fact – CAPSLO will thoroughly investigate any specific claim brought to their attention! As was stated at tonights City Council meeting to date no one including the “reporters” from this blog have done this.


I and my organization work transparently and if anyone has specific questions, etc.. – feel free to contact me directly at dtorres@capslo.org. I am proud of my staff, programs, and clients and will always be happy to stand up for all of them!


0

Dee,

Your relationship with Adam Hill and your $100,000+ per year salary has diminished any and all credibility you have.


0

Again, you question my credibility when you make filthy inaccurate comments under a fake name??? Ok “taxpayer”.


#1 – I do not make $100,000 per year.


#2 – Any relationship that I have with Adam Hill or anyone else for that matter has nothing to do with my work, my clients and/or my programs “taxpayer”.


I continue to support my staff, programs and clients. I suppose you will continue to use fake names to make fake accusations, this is all very sad.

Again any valid claims of unethical behavior can be sent to me at dtorres@capslo.org


So sad…


0

OK. What is the total of you salary+benefits exactly?


0

Ok. Dee fair enough. You stated your side of the story and that your organization works transparenty. The poster you commented under isoslo mentions about an audit. Would you allow for an audit to be done, before you accept taxpayers (people not the poster here) money?


I understand that people can contact you but seeing as you are one of two parties in a he said she said arguement, I think an audit is the only way to show true transparency.


0

“BeenThereDoneThat”,


We are audited by an outside agency twice per year and this is public information. On top of this, there are countless audits that take place internally and from outside organizations regarding all of our various programs. I will speak with my organization tomorrow and get some sort of a link or something where this info can be accessed. If you’d like to contact me directly I would be happy to answer your questions and/or specific concerns.


dtorre@capslo.org


0

Thank you for your reply. Yes I think a link would be helpful. I think everyone would just like to see what is going on and clear the air. I look forward to reading.


0

I was informed that our audits can be viewed on our website which is capslo.org


If you or anyone else has trouble finding the information you’re looking for let me know and I’ll do my best to get it to you dtorres@capslo.org


0

Ms. Torres,

Haven’t you violated the confidentiality of “Cliff?” Having had some association with different local homeless/housing groups confidentiality was always discussed. Kind of like your relationship with Adam.


0

Generally you are correct, all client information is confidential unless they sign a release, which he has. Linking my clients confidentiality to my personal life is just silly and not worthy of a response. I’m sure you’re better than this “Mr. Holly”.


0

In response to Ms. Torres,


Questions

1. Is there a contract between Family Ties and Capslo?


2. Are there fees paid to Family Ties through Capslo for the bookkeeping and safekeeping of your mutual clients’ funds? Do you get a monthly report, quarterly report, annual report? Do your mutual clients get monthly, quarterly and annual statements?


3. Is there pass through funds between Capslo and Family Ties? If so, for what?


3. Is your Fiduciary bonded?


0

An audit will never happen. those in charge will make sure of it, in part to proctect their own


0

This is what i wrote on the other CAPSLO article on 1/23……You can look it up. This is too predictable. Mr Plastic Fantastic Ashbaugh couldnt get the payout money he owes to Hill and his hoe from the lawyers so now he is taking it directly from the general fund and the taxpayers. There are likely criminal charges to be filed against Ashbaugh Torres and others who have this “protection scam going on to steal money from the homeless. Is there anything more disgusting than these criminals stealing money from the homeless using the police as the enforcers to get the homeless to pay out this money and Now to steal more from the taxpayers. WHEN WILL IT STOP. See my prediction from the 23rd….it has come true. An intellligent person can read these pondscum like a book. There are no consequences for their criminal behavior. WE NEED THE ATTORNEY GENERALS TASK FORCE TO CLEAN UP THIS MESS…IF NOT THE US ATTORNEY GENERALS ORGANIZED CRIME UNIT.


This wimp Ashbaugh just doesnt read the writing on the plastic bag. His hero Adam Hill is washed up. He just lost another power bid by losing the APCD chairmanship. He and that other little bearded Napoleon moral midget Gibson have finally exposed so much comtempt for the citizenry and so much personal perversion that even the most apathetic of our residents have awaken. Soooo why is Ashbaugh blatently stealing taxpayer money and giving it to fund Adam Hills Mistress. Remember that Dee Torres is a paid director at CAPSLO so this is a clear payoff to Hill. Maybe Ashbaugh has an upcoming scandal and needs a place of employment for an administrative assistant or maybe he owes Gibson a favor and wants to create an opening for a very qualified person at CAPSLO…if only they had the funds….never fear….the taxpayers will be happy to fund this via a payout to the lawyers…of course if the lawyers won’t cooperate the city won’t pay them and will go to court. BUT THE CITY WILL FIND A WAY TO GET THE MONEY TO ADAM HILL’S PAID PAL….I MEAN SHE, LIKE CHERIE , IS THE MOST QUALIFIED PERSON FOR THE JOB AND WE MUST KEEP HER FINANCIALLY SECURE OR WE TAXPAYERS WILL FACE THE CONSEQUENCES…..REMEMBER GAIL WILCOX….SAME DEAL THERE


Hot debate. What do you think? 38 4


0

My comments from 1/23 start with “this wimp Ashbaugh”. There actions are very predictable. They have no decency and no fear of getting caught….Its like Chicago in the 1930’s


0

It’s about time!!! Those who steal should be held accountable. Did anyone here know, that as a “client” meaning the homeless who sign in at Prado or the shelter, are “urged” to sign in, even if you are picking up your mail. ” the more who sign in, the more money they keep getting”. Yes, a client even has to sign in for services they will not be using.


Torres, Hill, Ashbaugh and the rest of them, better start looking for a new job.


The homeless need to start looking for jobs as well. Not encouraging the homeless to seek employment, is not helping them or the community.


0

“SanSimeonSam” I do not know who you are and this makes it almost impossible to understand and/or appropriately respond to your outlandish allegations. Please feel free to contact me directly “SanSimeonSam” with any questions etc as your blog above is too silly to respond to.


Again, as with these stories and blogs, nothing accurate! Really, has our community resorted to writing fake stories about people and then blogging fake accusations using fake names attached to the stories.


Ugh, this is horrible. Come on SLO we are better than this!


Again any and all questions can be forwarded to me directly as I would be happy to respond appropriatley.


dtorres@capslo.org


0

As I said..too late! And the story is just breaking. There’s too many witnesses! Better gear up! You and Adam.


0

Are you kidding me? How quickly can an audit be completed on CAPSLO to confirm where grant funds and normal operational revenues & expenses actually went.


Until a creditable audit is preformed this “feel good agency” can not be trusted with either public or private funds, contributions or client initiated money (period).


0

This money would be better spent by giving it to the San Luis Obispo Housing Authority to create additional housing for the homeless. We are flushing money given to Capslo down the sewer along with its gas. Where are all the Tribune editorials on this. Shame on that rag of a wantabe newspaper and all their liberal Poly wantabe journalist who sit at their desks critizing people who care for their community and all the wrongdoings. They fall in right behind Capsloas, absolutely useless!


0

Really SLO City Council…REALLY? This proves you are complicit with the corruption and guilty of:


18 USC § 4 – Misprision of felony


Whoever, having knowledge of the actual commission of a felony cognizable by a court of the United States, conceals and does not as soon as possible make known the same to some judge or other person in civil or military authority under the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.


0

Done deal or not – at least email the Supes right now! Let them know that no more money should be given to CAPSLO until the public is certain that there is not one iota of doubt as to how and where that money is used – and that will come only when a credible investigation is complete and the people of SLO are satisfied with the answers!


0

What do the Supes have to do with this???


The article makes it clear the the decision will be made by the San Luis Obispo City Council!


If you’re unhappy, tell the Council, not the Supervisors.


0

After reading the article re: CAPSLO I cannot believe the mental midgets would consider one penny without thoroughly investigating the allegations made.


People of SLO time to get to the ballot boxes and petitions to see that the present office holders become previous office holders!


0

I just read the article about Cliff Anderson and how CAPSLO “case manages” the homeless. It raises issues with CAPSLO that need to be addressed before any more money flows into this program.


The current council can’t hide behind the “we have to do something for the homeless” charade. If they take this action before all the issues are thoroughly investigated, a recall is in order.


0

Quoting SLOThinker: “The current council can’t hide behind the “we have to do something for the homeless” charade.”


I agree, especially since the SLO City Council has already done so much TO the homeless.


0

I’m sure it’s a done deal, tonight is just a formality, in part because the homeless problem is just to complicated for us “lay people” to understand.


0

That’s what I was thinking, too…. if we (the “lay people”) are hearing about it, it’s already a backroom-done-deal. Poor SLO, sinking into such disparity by such small people.


0

“disparity” is not despair sadly


0

If there is a good public turnout against it, the council may just blink…especially with the FBI having to step into clean up the SLO police-officer drug-selling scam by officer Corey.


0