Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered a compliance review of all nonprofit homeless shelter providers in the city on Sunday, after the New York Times published numerous allegations of sexual assault against Victor Rivera, the prominent head of the Bronx Parent Housing Network (BPHN), one of the city's largest nonprofit shelter operators.
The Times' story detailed the accounts of ten women, including BPHN employees and shelter clients, who alleged that Rivera assaulted them or paid them unwanted attention. The article also laid out other allegations of impropriety, such as nepotism hires and doling out contracts to friends. Multiple reports about Rivera's alleged wrongdoing went unheeded, the Times found, even as the city continued to rely on his organization's services.
"In light of this @NYTimes investigation, the City is hiring an outside auditing firm to review non-profit shelter providers to ensure true compliance," de Blasio said on Twitter on Sunday morning. He directed BPHN to conduct an independent investigation of the accusations against Rivera. He also said any sexual misconduct complaint to a city agency about a city-contracted nonprofit would have be investigated by an independent agency, rather than the nonprofit's own board.
"In light of this @NYTimes investigation, the City is hiring an outside auditing firm to review non-profit shelter providers to ensure true compliance," de Blasio said on Twitter on Sunday morning. He directed BPHN to conduct an independent investigation of the accusations against Rivera. He also said any sexual misconduct complaint to a city agency about a city-contracted nonprofit would have be investigated by an independent agency, rather than the nonprofit's own board.
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