Consider the architects schematic floor plan for the Dana's Field's Project proposed for the Town of Sandwich before the Zoning Board of Appeals in 2002. Housing Assistant Corporations executives, Rick Presbrey, Livia Davis, and Tom Brigham lobbied for passage of this poorly designed experimental social project for homeless parties, in particular criminal offenders modeled after the Moltrup Farm in Denmark.
The organization was found to house a number of criminal offenders including felons paroled for violent crimes including rape and homicide. Presbrey and Davis initially told the Town of Sandwich, "If you don't want us, we won't come!". The Barnstable Human Service Committee dismantled the makeshift camps after the following concerns were presented before officials in the Town of Barnstable. Letters addressing these concerns are posted below.
Mary Clements
PO Box 134
Marion, MA
August 15, 2003
Mr. John Klimm,
367 Main Street
Hyannis, MA 02601
I understand there is a proposal to combine the Pilot House, Duffy Clinic and HAC/NOAH Shelter into a multi-service center for the homeless in a converted restaurant adjacent to the Barnstable Airport. I was in attendance at the Human Service Needs Committee chaired by Reverend James Scovil of the Hyannis Federated Church in April of 2002.
I was present when Royden Richardson of District 4 introduced a proposal sponsored by the Salvation Army that essentially provided vacant land and public support of unsupervised camping of homeless individuals with chronic substance abuse problems and a variety of untreated psychiatric issues.
The population of homeless utilizing this vacant land would have been concentrated with criminal offenders. The parcel of land suggested in this initiative was directly across from the Stop and Shop Supermarket on Rt. 132. After vocal opposition by local authorities, public safety personnel, and members of the listening public, the proposal was dismissed.
Members of the human service committee remained adamant that allowing public camping without sanitation facilities, proper storage of food items, and necessary support services was perfectly reasonable. I remember being asked by one of the committee members if dismantling the camps was a prudent and necessary action. He was wearing a navy blue suit and told me my answer was a “litmus test”. He was later identified as District Attorney Michael O’Keefe. I answered that it was in the best interest of clients, businessmen and residents collectively.
O'Keefe expressed concern that professionals working with clients had not discussed public health implications at any point previously and in particular to the makeshift camps already in use. Ms. Judy Best RN was not in attendance. Livia Davis had informed me the previous day that no more representatives from HAC/NOAH would be attending the scheduled meetings because they had become “accusatory” in nature.
The following month I was told by Barnstable Human Service Needs Committee Member Alan Burt that the meetings at the Federated Church were now “closed”. Burt explained to me that confidentiality issues were involved and that I could no longer attend. I proceeded to assist him and Reverend Bob Huff of the Salvation Army with the sponsored camping project at Shawme Crowell and the Overnights of Hospitality.
Alan continued to condemn the actions of public officials.
I withdrew all support for the human service advocates at a meeting for the relief effort after Alan Burt organized an effort to resist the potential razing of makeshift camps the following year. He attempted to establish a lobby group, soliciting member of the Council of Churches to protest the “slick and deceptive” action of local authorities. Burt suggested that it was “cruel and inhumane” to remove an obvious public health hazard. Livia Davis was present at this meeting held at Baldwin Hall of The Federated Church in February of 2003. Davis spoke publicly to the Council of Churches on support and funding for the Dana’s Field’s Project.
Recently, I received minutes of the notes from the Barnstable Human Service meetings held at Community Action Committee. Enclosed is the report published by the clinicians of the O’Neill/Duffy Clinic on success and progress of clients at the Pilot House.
It appears that the two main local human service organizations have seized an opportunity to promote expansion. There has been little change in the quality of services that exacerbated the problem. The six people who have been classified as success stories have all appeared intoxicated in or around the apartment complex at 72 North Street and the Cosmetique Parking Lot. The building where I live is considered a “crack house”.
Enclosed are a number of letters that I have forwarded to officials in the Town of Sandwich in regard to The Dana’s Field’s Project. Correspondence indicates my opposition to expansion of this negligent industry to a quiet and unsuspecting town. Plans to build this $11 million dollar farm will not include placement of the 80% of current, chronic offenders in Hyannis. In fact, the local shelter will become the placement of individuals who fall below the standards for rehabilitation in Sandwich.
I have also enclosed architectural floor plans for the facility, including the schematic design for two homes for executives to be built on the premises. Homes for staff are estimated to cost the taxpayer $578,000 for Dana’s Field’s Executive Director Livia Davis and $482,000 for Public Relations Coordinator, Mr. Tom Brigham.
The administration of Housing Assistance Corporation and the attorney representing the organization promised members of The Sandwich Family Association that tenacious and obstreperous clients that could not be rehabilitated would be returned to Hyannis. Rick Presbrey and Michael Princi stated that staff would screen difficult clients out of the applicant pool, so as not to disrupt the quiet, sleepy, Town of Sandwich where the Davis and Brigham families plan to make their homes.
Tax returns for Housing Assistance Corporation (HAC) are included and available for your inspection as the company is classified as a 501C Non-Profit organization. (HAC) has claimed publicly before the Sandwich Zoning Board of Appeals held at the Oak Ridge School that the organization assumes a $200,000 annual loss, but executives keep the shelter open as a “favor to the town of Hyannis”.
This organization is planning the controversial farm project at an $11 million dollar price tag with less than 27% of the funds raised. The ZBA Sandwich hired an independent business consultant that anticipates that according to statistical precedent, the non-profit will face insurmountable difficulty within the first six months and the project is expected to fail completely within the first year.
Housing Assistance Corporation, Community Action Committee and The Duffy Clinic have now joined forces and intend to lobby for municipal funding and support. It appears that the combination of these three agencies and conflicting philosophies will result in the maintenance of the status quo. Lack of direction and mismanagement of funds presents even greater potential harm to both clients of whom they are responsible and the surrounding community in which they must function.
I recommend that you strongly consider the negative impact that previously prevailed when HAC/NOAH and the O’Neill/Duffy Clinic have combined. The organizations are still in proximity to the commercial district and a number of schools. Professionals working at the Pilot House deny that their rehabilitation efforts on chronic clients continue to fail.
The NOAH Shelter has been unable to supervise habitual offenders. The Chase Sober House operated by Housing Assistance has been less than effective and the adjacent O’Neill Satellite of the Duffy Clinic unable to provide services to chronic clientele. Human service providers intend to expand concentrated services to the locale. The drain on financial and human resources including public safety personnel is currently at capacity. The burden on rescue personnel should this plan for combination of services and organizations be brought to fruition will become virtually insurmountable.
The shelter often presents a hostile and aggressive climate that fosters negative behavior as many who are troubled resort to aggression. The organization most often defends the actions of the criminal element and dictates a climate of intimidation and fear. I am concerned that continued support for agencies supporting or tolerating this atmosphere will further compromise not only vulnerable clients and recidivist offenders, but also society at large.
The Pilot House or any provision for displaced campers and chronic offenders was supposed to be a homelike, family style, arrangement enabling clients to develop a sense of purpose and belonging. As many of us feared the project has become a larger facility operating on the same principles by the same providers, with an even lesser rate of efficacy.
I would recommend closure of the NOAH shelter and the development of smaller, scattered group homes to relieve the heavy concentration of criminal narcotic offenders virtually ruling the street of Hyannis. It would be prudent to expect closer supervision of habitual offenders. I have spoken to three different attorneys who state there is sufficient evidence to support a court injunction to protect clients and residents from any further harm caused by the mismanagement at HAC/NOAH and its associated Duffy Clinic.
Sincerely,
Mary Clements, RN
cc. Michael O’Keefe, Esq.
Sergeant Sean Sweeney
David Daly, Esq.
(Click on to enlarge documents).In the fiscal year, 2000, Housing Assistance Corporation generated $14,500 in annual revenue from transitional assistance funds to provide homeless services to indigent clientele in downtown Hyannis. Many of the clients of the local shelter were delivered to the Town of Barnstable from incarceration and recent release from prison facilities off-Cape. Most clients are provided with a one-way bus ticket and promised an opportunity at rehabilitation at this agency catering to criminal offenders.
The organization is within walking distance of a number of elementary secondary schools, and daycare centers. Executives divided the tax funded revenue between seven suborganization including the local shelter, sober house, home for unwed parents on South Street and "Wheels to Work Program.
Livia Davis and Tom Brigham planned an 11.5 million dollar farm project in the conservative, neighboring Town of Sandwich modeled after Davis family farm for criminal offender in Denmark. The organization lobbied Senator Ted Kennedy's Office for funds, filed for $250,000 for the parcel of property purchased through HUD, and appeared on CNN to promote the concept.
In 2003, as Housing Assistance lobbied for an expanded shelter to house clients deemed unfit for the experimental project, it was discovered a number of violent offenders were tied to the shelter and connected with two open homicide investigations.
After pressure on public officials and law enforcement agents that accepted campaign contributions from these executives, the project was placed on hold. The parcel of property has been mortgaged, and there is now a direct effort to recover the clientele yet to be rehabilitated in downtown Hyannis.
Mildred's Chowder House/Fish Landing proposed site, shot down by neighbors and concerned abutters. Stuie Bornstein, you are my hero!
(Click on to enlarge).
This correspondence is stamped received by the Office of Barnstable Town Manager, John Klimm in regard to the effort. The items were privately addressed, the principles fired, no resolution on homeless issues acheived, and political figures effectively covered-up the imminent danger to not only the taxpaying public, but also vulnerable and innocent tourists, businesses,
women and children.
Here is the correspondence forwarded to former Barnstable Assistant Town Manager Joellen Daly from Michael O'Keefe supporting the new site of the shelter at Fish Landing. A number of campaign contributions from exectives and clinicians supporting the Dana's Field's Project were accepted from O'Keefe. Michael Princi, the Attorney representing Housing Assistance before the Zoning Board of Appeals in Sandwich told the Sandwich Family Association that he had made a "number of generous contributions to public officials" that supported the project.
(Click on to enlarge.)Note Barnstable Town Council President Royden Richardson, and Chairman of the Barnstable Human Service Needs Committee lobbying for the expanded wet shelter for homeless services. The organization continued to lobby for the Dana's Field's Project and Livia Davis is seated among executives. Davis promised the Town of Sandwich that she was going to return unrecovered and unrehabilitated clients to the new facility if they failed at rehabilitation at her project in Sandwich. District Attorney Michael O'Keefe is seated and spoke in favor of expansion of this negligent organization that housed criminal offenders.
There were two open homicides under investigation as O'Keefe lobbied for funds. Both perpetrators were traced to the shelter after O'Keefe and local law enforcement was tipped off about sex offenders tied to the agencies. Royden Richardson was formerly employed by the District Attorney's Office as a Probation Officer. Richardson was dismissed from his duties after a conviction for molesting probationers. His record was sealed.
Now do you see why I think you are stupid, Mike?
