15983: (Hermantin) Sun Sentinel-Haitian aid group comes under investigation by Palm Bea (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>


Haitian aid group comes under investigation by Palm Beach County



By Leon Fooksman
Staff Writer

June 18, 2003

DELRAY BEACH· An organization that aids Haitians is under scrutiny by a Palm
Beach County agency for allegations of nepotism and its handling of a social
services program.

The Children's Services Council put the Haitian American Community Council's
Empowerment Program on a corrective action plan this week after finding that
the Haitian group's Lantana office didn't properly train a worker, failed to
keep detailed documents and generally had trouble proving that it provided
services to families.

CSC also determined that the Community Council's executive director,
Daniella Henry, may have had a "nepotistic relationship" with the program's
director, Gethro Louis Jean, because they co-own a property in West Palm
Beach.

By co-owning the property at 1466 S. Congress Ave., Henry and Louis Jean
have created the appearance of a relationship that may violate a CSC
nepotism policy, said Marlene Passell, CSC's spokeswoman. Employees are
discouraged from having the same residences with their supervisors, she
said.

Willie Jones, a Haitian council board member and attorney, said Henry and
Louis Jean aren't violating the nepotism policy because they aren't married
and have no relationship. All Henry did was help Louis Jean buy the
property, he said. Henry doesn't live there, he added.

CSC's review was prompted by a complete turnover of staff at the Lantana
office. Jones said Family Support Advocate Marie Yves Snizek was fired for
missing training, Program Supervisor Louis Jean was fired for not properly
filing documentation and the council's Deputy Director Karlie Richardson was
terminated for misconduct and threatening Henry.

Snizek said she missed training to nurse her sick sister and was told not to
return to work. Richardson said she was having problems with Henry over
Louis Jean's oversight. She said she was ordered to take several days off
and never told to return. Louis Jean couldn't be reached for comment by
phone.

The Haitian council's Delray Beach and Lantana offices get about $869,000 a
year from Palm Beach County public agencies to provide immigration
assistance and referrals, prenatal care, infant services, orientation to
public schools and housing for AIDS victims.

CSC oversees its $145,705 annual Haitian council grant to help 90 families
in the Lake Worth area acquire job skills, resolve legal issues, deal with
child disciplinary problems and provide other services.

The dismissed workers were not on track for meeting CSC's goals for the
grant nor was it administered according to CSC's parameters, the CSC's
review found.

The review said a new employee hired to help run the program was working
"without the benefit of review of the program model, established forms or
orientation to the program. Therefore, it is understandable that the
services provided may not adhere to the contract."

Some case file notes suggest that a new employee apparently didn't know some
of his clients, the CSC found. The review found 13 documents maintained by
the worker had only a single entry documenting case notes.

CSC's review also involved examining other files at the Delray Beach office
and it found that the services rendered to families "did not follow any
structured procedures nor did the files contain uniform set of forms."

CSC ordered the council to make immediate corrections, including developing
tighter staff and financial oversight, ensuring that its staff is fully
trained to implement programs, creating and enforcing conflict of interest
statements. The Haitian council also was ordered to follow CSC's
anti-nepotism policies.

Jones said he has been in touch with CSC's staff about the oversight of the
Lantana program and the review was no surprise.

Every 15 days until Sept. 15, CSC's staff will review the Haitian council's
progress in resolving those issues.

The review didn't provide details on the nepotism issue, but Passell
explained that it was based on the West Palm Beach property, which has a
homestead exemption. Even if Henry and Louis Jean don't live together,
co-owning the property raised the nepotism issue, she said. CSC didn't raise
the issue of who holds the homestead exemption.

"It shows that there was something other than a professional relationship,"
Passell said.

Jones argued that Henry helping Louis Jean buy property isn't grounds for a
nepotism claim. Henry co-signed for a mortgage on the house, county records
show. She also is listed in mortgage records as being Louis Jean's wife, but
Jones said the documents are inaccurate.

Louis Jean also operated the nonprofit Minority Advocacy Center, using the
Haitian council's Lantana office address, state records show. Jones said his
board didn't know anything about that organization or what it did.

Louis Jean also operates the for-profit Legacy Service Center, which state
records show has the same address as the property he co-owns with Henry,
state records show.

Henry didn't return phone calls seeking comment on Tuesday.

Leon Fooksman can be reached at lfooksman@sun-sentinel.com.
Copyright © 2003, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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