Corruption in charities

Lillyfae

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118046254#Comment_118046254

That's how getting a quote from a plumber or something works, tendering is a bit more complicated than the lowest price. It's also type of service provision, proven track record, quality of staff etc etc etc.

mariaalice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118046058#Comment_118046058

That is true and it happens in all cities there is such a thing as a homeless culture but that is not caused by NGO that supports the vulnerable it's a feature of modern society. Paris use to have a law that individuals could not live in a hostel for more than 3 weeks.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118046401#Comment_118046401

I could get a great score on all those criteria and then cut my costs to the bone with rookie unskilled staff on exploitation level contracts once I won the tender.

And the clients bear the brunt.

Lillyfae

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118046670#Comment_118046670

I doubt you would ever win the tender Mr O Bumble, but with the populists in government who knows?

mariaalice

One of the contract compliance matrix,  would be that you must employ qualified staff for certain roles and you must pay them x amount they are doing this with the child care sector as the low pay was becoming a crisis for getting staff.

Its not the worst idea to have tenders, not funding but I suspect it would be vastly more expensive.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118046737#Comment_118046737

It's not really about me, as you well know. The question is how you measure quality in human service tenders based on lowest cost bids.

Hotblack Desiato

Nothing ever goes to tender on the basis of cost alone. Even if you're buying baked beans you're going to have a specification of some kind.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118052743#Comment_118052743

And it is very, very difficult to come up with a spec and manage to that spec in human services.

crossman47

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118047916#Comment_118047916

You're making two mistakes here. First of all, the social welfare transfers are those from the government to the individual and are nothing to do with charities. Secondly, the poverty line is one of relative poverty (under 60 per cent of median earnings). That so many are under it is a reflection of very unequal earnings distribution and can (and does) happen in wealthy countries. The fact that social welfare brings so many above the line is something to be proud of IMO.

Hotblack Desiato

Charities going on about relative poverty is like saying that we should aim to have an education system where every child is above average... 🙄

Short of some sort of dystopian perfectly communist society where nobody is allowed have anything unless everyone else has it too, there will always be relative poverty. There are places in Dublin where if you are "only" earning €250k a year you are in relative poverty compared to your neighbours.

Hotblack Desiato

This situation is a total joke, donors are being fooled, but charity founder egos being stroked which seems to be all that matters...

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/immediate-action-needed-on-unregulated-homeless-services-1.4708314

Volunteer groups providing food and tents to Dublin’s homeless are undermining regulated services and exposing vulnerable people to “undignified” and “unsafe” conditions, a report commissioned by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive states.

Independent consultant Mary Higgins said in her report that volunteer groups were potentially supporting people to remain on the streets, yet homeless people were “not the main users of the services”.

Her research, based on-street observation and interviews with homeless services, volunteer groups, officials, businesses, and residents of private emergency accommodation, indicated in some cases food stalls were attracting drug dealing and that tents were being used for prostitution.

Up to 20 unofficial homelessness organisations are operating in Dublin city, with reports of rough sleepers being woken several times during the night to be offered food by various groups.

The groups “do not have the skills or experience to engage with people who are homeless, and there are examples of their interventions undermining the work of mainstream providers and possibly supporting people to remain on or return to the streets”, she said.

“The model of on-street services where people queue for food and eat in full public view on the main streets of the city is inherently undignified and is potentially unsafe. No attention is paid to nutritional needs or food safety and the crowds that gather at the food stalls are thought to attract drug dealing and other unsavoury activity, putting people who are vulnerable at risk.”

Ms Higgins said interviews with those living in emergency accommodation indicated a “very low usage” of on-street stalls.

“The depiction of the on-street services as helping people who are homeless was contested by most review participants, who believed that they were used by a wide range of people ‘most of them probably not homeless’ and thought to include people ‘who happened to be passing by’, those who are on a break from work,” she said. “Taxi drivers were particularly mentioned.”

Those interviewed also raised concern about potential “grooming, proselytising and political recruitment,” she said “Other concerns were expressed about the fact that there is no Garda vetting of volunteers, that people who are recovering addicts, with no other qualifications, are volunteers.”

There was, Ms Higgins said, a “failure” by officials to “protect the welfare and safety members of the public and people who are homeless and vulnerable by implementing and enforcing existing regulations in relation to charities, food safety, services for people who are homeless, and obstructive behaviour”.

She said there was a need to “take immediate action to address risks of on-street services”.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118092226#Comment_118092226

And anyone who pointed out this were accused of being heartless begrudgers.

A few things stand out. The number of people using these food distribution outlets who are not homeless, namely taxi drivers.

Waking someone trying to get a bit of kip in their tents to offer them food!

Those doing these food stalls for political gain or worse!

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118093083#Comment_118093083

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118092226#Comment_118092226

I wouldn't be jumping to too many conclusions without seeing the report itself, and understanding who commissioned it, and why. Based on the reports in the article, it seems to be largely based on conjecture and assumption rather than actual facts;

most review participants, who believed that they were used by a wide range of people ‘most of them probably not homeless’ and thought to include people ‘who happened to be passing by’, those who are on a break from work,” she said. “Taxi drivers were particularly mentioned.”

How hard would it be to validate or confirm these allegations?

Hotblack Desiato

What about the lack of dignity of people eating in the street?

The reports of rough sleepers being woken several times during the night to be offered food by various groups?

[The groups] “do not have the skills or experience to engage with people who are homeless, and there are examples of their interventions undermining the work of mainstream providers and possibly supporting people to remain on or return to the streets” ?

Ms Higgins said interviews with those living in emergency accommodation indicated a “very low usage” of on-street stalls. ?

Lack of Garda vetting and food safety compliance?

These are not conjecture and assumptions.

“The assets of the charity are estimated to be in excess of €1 million.” Great little business. https://www.thejournal.ie/ichh-wind-down-anthony-flynn-david-hall-5589039-Nov2021/

Hotblack Desiato

Pieta House now.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/hse-audit-criticises-unsatisfactory-controls-at-pieta-house-1.4736524

An internal Health Service Executive (HSE) audit into suicide prevention charity Pieta House criticised a number of governance shortcomings, including the circumstances around a pay increase for a former chief executive.

The audit found controls and oversight at the charity, which received €5 million in HSE funding over the past two years, were “unsatisfactory”, and made more than 50 recommendations for improvement.

A draft audit report was first completed in 2018, which was followed by significant back and forth between Pieta House and the audit team, with the final report signed off in February 2021.

The audit noted one staff member was responsible for collecting donations, as well as drawing up receipts and depositing the funds in the charity’s bank account, which it said “could lead to irregularities going unnoticed”.

The audit criticised a lack of documentation around the authorisation of staff salary increases, and an increase in the chief executive’s pay in 2017.

The report said a general pay increase of 5 per cent had been given to staff, while the chief executive received a 12 per cent increase.

The audit said the charity had 15 bank accounts, which could lead to “lack of control and non-identification of errors and misappropriation”.

The founder of the charity, former senator Joan Freeman, had been appointed to an ambassador role in 2015, reporting directly to the charity’s board.

The audit said “Pieta House management were not fully informed about the ambassador’s activities”, and copies of her contract and job description were not on her staff personnel file.

The report also raised concerns with invoices from therapists contracted by Pieta House to provide counselling sessions. Auditors reviewed invoices from 22 therapists and said some had been paid without evidence of approval. In four cases there were “discrepancies” between appointment records and invoices.

The audit also found Garda vetting had not been renewed for several years for some staff, and that “no reasons were provided by Pieta House for not renewing these Garda clearances”.