Oct. 20 (UPI) — The nonprofit organizations that operate New York City’s homeless shelters are engaged in widespread corruption, officials have found after three years of investigation.
The New York City Department of Investigation released a 100-page report Thursday that detailed alleged corruption and nepotism at more than 50 nonprofit shelter providers and listed 32 recommendations for reform.
The report notes that New York’s Department of Social Services and the Department of Homeless Services operate the largest homeless shelter system in the United States, putting roofs over the heads of some 86,000 people per night.
To operate those shelters, the city contracts with a large network of nonprofit organizations, which are overseen by the Department of Homeless Services — many of which have annual revenue in the “tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars.”
Some shelter executives were accused of double-dipping by also being employed by third-party firms hired to provide services at shelters, such as security companies, investigators said. Other shelter executives even paid themselves more than $700,000 per year.