Dear Honorable Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Taylor:

I am writing to officially request that you indefinitely suspend the review of the proposal for a transitional housing facility at 78-16 Cooper Avenue, Glendale, NY 11385, which was submitted to the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) by Samaritan Village until the organization can satisfactorily account for the findings of a recent state audit of its operations.

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli recently released a report of a
prior contract with the non-profit Samaritan Village. The Comptroller and his staff, while fulfilling their role as the state’s chief financial officer and fiscal
regulator, identified nearly $1 million in spending of state / taxpayer funds by this organization that raise questions about Samaritan Village and its operations. Upon initial review, the Comptroller’s audit appears to suggest poor handling and misappropriation of taxpayer money, as well as communication deficiencies regarding finance approvals between the organization and its state regulator the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (OASAS).

These findings from the state’s top financial office deserve consideration from your administration when determining whether the City of New York should enter into a new extended contract with an organization that is currently being cited for potential operational deficiencies. It is appropriate for the City of New York to suspend further consideration of new contracts with this entity until
further investigation and analysis is complete with a full accounting by Samaritan Village for their actions.

Under your leadership, the new DHS Commissioner and your administration have shown a willingness to look at the problem of homelessness and the
delivery of homeless services through a new lens. It is my hope that you will continue this trend of reform by ensuring the integrity of all organizations that contract with the Department of Homeless Services.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,
Andrew Hevesi
Assembly Member 28AD