ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Local seniors and disabled residents have been forced out of their homes due to the closure of the Enriched Housing Program. The Department of Health cited health and safety violations as the reason for the shutdown.
The program was operated by Family Service of Rochester, a nonprofit organization. News10NBC’s Deanna Dewberry investigated and found that the organization faced significant financial issues. According to the nonprofit’s IRS filing document, the 990 for 2023, Family Service of Rochester ended the year more than $650,000 in debt.
Charity Navigator rated the organization with two stars, indicating a need for improvement, and gave it a score of 66 for accountability and finance.
The IRS filing also lacked expected information, such as salaries. While Neil Cavalieri was listed as the CEO, his salary was not disclosed. Only volunteer board members were listed on the salary page. Cavalieri The former CEO of Family Service of Rochester left the organization this month. When contacted by phone, he declined to comment.
Residents who relied on the Enriched Housing Program said they felt betrayed. “They were made to move in 10 days without any kind of knowing why they had to move just that the Family Services of Rochester had dissolved without any reasoning why and giving us a 10-day notice that they had to leave,” residents said.
The Department of Health said the program was closing because of serious violations that threatened residents’ health and safety. On Wednesday, a DOH spokesman provided specifics, laying blame squarely at the door of Family Service of Rochester. DOH sent me the following statement:
“Recent surveys of the Hudson Ridge and Danforth Towers Enriched Housing Programs identified violations that posed immediate risks to resident health and safety. The operator, Family Services of Rochester, Inc., lacked the resources to correct the identified violations and voluntarily surrendered their licenses and opted to close the programs. The decision was made by the operator—not the State Department of Health—and carried out by the operator in an expedited manner as their staffing was insufficient and funding was depleted.
The State Health Department’s role is to monitor licensed providers for compliance with state health and safety standards. While DOH does not have the authority to close or evict residents, the Department is obligated to identify and report conditions that put residents at risk. The following are examples of violations identified in recent surveys:
Admission of individuals who needed services not provided by the operator. Enriched housing program participants are generally independent. However, individuals were admitted who need skilled clinical care due to their conditions including individuals who require tube-feeding and insulin administration. Lack of supervision. Enriched housing program participants should be generally independent. But because individuals were admitted who need skilled care, they were at risk in times of emergency. The lack of supervision has cascading impacts that jeopardize the health and safety of residents in addition to directly violating the obligations of the license. Insufficient record keeping. When a resident’s condition changes, and new services are needed, follow through is an expectation of a licensed provider to ensure that the services are coordinated. This was not sufficiently provided by the operator. Unmonitored narcotics. Lack of staff resulting in unmonitored narcotics, a lack of records, lack of supervision, and a lack of emergency procedure awareness that results in potentially dangerous conditions. Inconsistent Nutrition. Meals were found to be inconsistent, even for the 1 meal per day requirement for licensed enriched housing programs. Poor Medication Adherence. Some residents stated they ceased taking their medications or did not have them to take.”AI assisted with the formatting of this story. Click here to see how WHEC News10NBC uses AI.
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