Geez, I should really check my junk email inbox more often.
That’s where I came across a write-up from Housing Minister Rich Coleman addressing the obvious concerns people have about whether non-profits in the Downtown Eastside are unwisely spending taxpayers’ money.
This comes, of course, after Coleman’s government revealed the scandalous financial mess of the PHS Community Services Society and all its extravagance.
I happened to be away when the news broke but by now you’ve heard about the pricey hotel rooms, travel costs, limousine services, restaurant bills, international trips, etc.
The audits conducted by the government and Vancouver Coastal Health also ensnared Jenny Kwan, the NDP MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant.
Kwan, at the time, said words could not adequately express how shocked and sorry she was about the findings.
I have more to say about Kwan.
First to Coleman’s words.
“As the Province helps the Portland Hotel Society to restructure, I feel it is important to remind British Columbians that close to 50 other agencies deliver a wide range of programs and services to some of society’s poorest, most troubled individuals on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside,” he wrote in what was described as an “opinion-editorial.” “These agencies employ hundreds of staff and manage thousands of social housing units. They are unsung heroes who deserve our appreciation and respect because they deal with the problems that go beyond many of our families’ ability to manage.”
Interestingly, I heard him say pretty much the same thing over the years about the Portland when he led press conferences to open a new or renovated hotel.
That was then, this is now: “Its spending practices have tarnished PHS’s image and cast a shadow over a lot of good work in the community, services that support those in need and some remarkable progress can suffer.”
Thinking about this, I called up Karen O’Shannacery, the executive director of the Lookout Emergency Aid Society, to talk what effect, if any, the PHS story has had on her non-profit.
O’Shannacery said Lookout is currently seeking donations and sponsors for its annual H’Arts for the Homeless fundraiser gala in October. She said the society’s board is definitely hearing from donors who were spooked by the PHS scandal.
“The reluctance is absolutely there,” she said, noting the society relies on about a half-million dollars per year to augment programs and services. “It is having an impact and we can’t afford to have that.”
O’Shannacery encouraged potential donors to check out Lookout’s webpage to understand its mandate and history. There’s also a link to the society’s 2012-2013 financial report.
“For me, it’s very important to get the word out that Lookout does have good governance,” she added. “We believe very strongly in accountability to both our private and public funders.”
As for Kwan, NDP leader Adrian Dix welcomed her back to the Legislature last Wednesday after she took an unpaid leave over the PHS mess; she claims she didn’t know her then-husband and PHS executive Dan Small billed the non-profit for family trips to the UK, Vienna and Disneyland.
She has since paid $34,922.57 to the PHS, which now has a new board of directors. Kwan, however, doesn’t appear to be hurting for money.
As the Vancouver Sun reported last week, Kwan now lives in a $1.9 million house in Kitsilano, which is not exactly in her Mount Pleasant riding.
This just in this a.m.: My colleague Sandra Thomas has posted a story saying the City of Vancouver's former finance head Ken Bayne will take a role in cleaning up the financial mess left by the previous directors of the PHS Community Services Society.
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