A domestic violence shelter is there to aid victims of domestic violence in giving them a safe place to go when in a violent relationship. Most of the employees and volunteers have in deed been victims themselves and they have chosen to help others that have been in their shoes. I was employed at one of these shelters and yes I was a past victim myself. You would think that all staff including management would be very empathetic and caring; however, this was not the case at the shelter I worked in.
The executive director continuously re-victimized the staffs that are employed there. Making them walk on egg shells on a daily basis. She was just like an abuser. She uses idol threats in threatening staff; changing her story from one thing to the next it got so bad that all program directors started photo copying every piece of communication when received from her. She was brutal in her words and even worse if she felt you were not going to kiss her butt on a regular basis. Every single staff member cringed when called into her office. She was vindictive and harsh bring friends onto the board and hiring friends for made up positions while laying off others due to in her words we had funding cuts. No staff member had anyone to go to complain or find refuge because she stacked all areas in her favor.
She is a LSW yet almost every action she makes is unethical. There is a day that local companies send in volunteers to do things that would brighten up the clients’ faces, yet since she has come most of the volunteers were up in her office scrapping wall-paper and painting her office which might I add no client will ever see. Mind you this is suppose to be done on a volunteer basis yet she the executive director gave every single one of those volunteers that worked in her office gas cards that were donated by a community member for the clients to aid them in getting around to appointments and job interviews, now those clients have no gas cards and guess what it may not be illegal but it is unethical and no staff has anyone to tell in fear that they will loose their jobs and guess what they are right. Once you speak up against her she will crucify you and she will come up with a reason to get rid of you.
When this lady took the reins of the shelter it was in good shape it was almost 50,000.00 in the green, now guess what it is 50,000.00 in the red now you be the judge on why that may be. The worse part of it is that all these so called funding cuts, the only money that was lost was funding from a local funding source, all large grants were not cut and she even got aid from the government to keep people employed yet she is cutting everyone’s hours except hers and laying people off or just plan getting rid of them. Now I am not a betting person but I bet there is some money disappearing into, well I will let you make that call for yourself.
Suzie Andy
