New York City to review shelter providers after sexual, financial abuse allegations emerge

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city would review nonprofits operating the city’s $2 billion network of homeless shelters after allegations emerged that the CEO of a major shelter provider sexually abused women and used his position to benefit his family, The New York Times reports. 

The announcement came in response to an article from the Times about accusations that Victor Rivera, head of the Bronx Parent Housing Network, sexually assaulted and harassed employees and women living in the organization’s shelters. Despite several women reporting the misconduct to a state agency, a city hotline and, at one point, the police, Rivera remained in his position and the Bronx Parent Housing Network continued to hold its city contracts. Since 2017, it has received more than $274 million in city funds to operate homeless shelters and provider services there.

The Times also found that Rivera hired family members and entangled his for-profit businesses with the nonprofit Bronx Parent Housing Network.

De Blasio wrote on Twitter on Sunday that the city would use an outside auditing firm to ensure compliance among nonprofit shelter providers. In response to findings that one woman who had complained about Rivera’s sexual harassment to the city had those complaints redirected to his own nonprofit to investigate, de Blasio added that the city will also now refer any allegations of sexual misconduct from a nonprofit contractor reported to a city agency to an independent investigatory agency. 

The Bronx Parent Housing Network has put Rivera on leave and, after the city directed it to do so, is launching an external investigation into the accusations of sexual misconduct.