Let's Get Honest! Absolutely Uncommon Analysis of Family & Conciliation Courts' Operations, Practices, & History

NOTE:  This blog was intended to expand upon a NRFC solicitation grant I found. It’s significant.

However in the process of giving a “for-example” I was reminded of Homeboy Industries as another prominent group which had some “staying incorporated” problems which seemed not to stem the flow of federal funds (if anything, the opposite — after being warned several times about delinquency, and it has not filed its California Returns recently, this group got about $1.4 million MORE grants.  )

ERGO — this post has interesting and relevant content, but is waiting to be split into two parts, and both further developed.

• The solicitation grant (top part) and/or fatherhood PEERTA collaborations…
• The Homeboy Phenomenon (second part)

But, I’m going to publish it anyhow, as interesting and relevant to what HHS (the USGovernment) is doing with our money. Also soliciting any other information people may have on this.  It seems clear to me that Homeboy Industries is a good project — but that still doesn’t excuse not filing tax returns, or (ideally) posting the Articles of Incorporation up on the California’s OAG page.

This material is eyeopening for me on how the systems are being set up.   Enjoy!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

A solicitation put up very briefly by HHS asking for more help in promoting more of its (not our collective) personal media campaign to promote marriage and fatherhood.  They will also fund similar promotion campaigns to promote “Domestic Violence Awareness” (“no problem”) and even combine two for one, sometimes.

I wonder if the DV groups are doing what I see the FR groups doing — sucking up to this and sucking the air out of the one source we need temporarily, when separating — which is a little help!

I wish I’d gotten out of my own relationship before welfare reform passed; unfortunately, it takes some help to leave.  I am stunned and offended at this entire matter.  And the engineers of this system no VERY well that abusers tend to control economics making it hard  — or “plunging her into poverty” by a variety of cruel, but easy to manage ways, so she just doens’t get out.

And that’s even before the family court fun and games begin.

I want ABSOLUTELY EVERY UNITED STATES CITIZEN PAYING TAXES TO UNDERSTAND WHERE SOME OF THESE TAXES ARE GOING AND TO MAKE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THIS AND THE ONGOING MASS-MURDERS OCCURRING A SPAS, IN SALONS, IN HOMES AND AROUND SITUATIONS OF WOMEN WITH CHILDREN TRYING, BUT FAILING, TO GET UTTERLY FREE FROM ABUSE AND ONGOING VIOLENCE IN THEIR LIVES….

MAKE NO MISTAKE YOU SHOULD “HEAD THIS ONE OFF AT THE PASS,” GET IT DELETED FROM THE LEGISLATION, NEXT ROUND of APPROPRIATIONS, AS Women With Children WERE “HEADED OFF AT THE PASS” ON OUR ROUTE TO SAFETY, AFTER DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR OUR KIDS, OURSELVES, AND SOCIETY — SEPARATING OUR KIDS & SELVES FROM IN-HOME DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.  CAN WE SEPARATE, OR CAN WE NOT SEPARATE?  EITHER DEFUND FR FUNDING OR DEFUND DV FUNDING — THEY ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.  ONE CANCELS OUT THE OTHER, IN ACTION.

Solicitation Number:

11-233-SOL-00430

Notice Type:

Presolicitation

Synopsis:

Added: Jul 13, 2011 6:35 pm

The proposed acquisition listed herein is legislatively mandated for nationally recognized, nonprofit fatherhood promotion organizations. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Program Support Center, Division of Acquisition Management intends to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) on behalf of the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of HHS for the ongoing operation of the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NFRC). The RFP number is 11-233-SOL-00430. The NAICS code is 541611.

The proposed acquisition is to provide for the development of a clearinghouse, a media campaign, and the support of the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood programs and initiatives. The contractor shall work with OFA to modify and enhance the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NFRC), www.fatherhood.gov, to develop and maintain a dynamic national clearinghouse. The clearinghouse will promote and support responsible fatherhood, especially healthy marriage within the context of fatherhood, economic stability, and parenting.

Additionally, the clearinghouse will be designed to assist stakeholders in efforts to promote and support responsible fatherhood.

In accordance with any HHS policies and requirements, the contractor shall develop various forms of media and technology to engage and communicate with fathers and practitioners from the responsible fatherhood field directly across the country.

The contractor shall develop, promote and design a distribution strategy for a national responsible fatherhood media campaign. Also, the contractor will provide logistical support for up to five responsible fatherhood events and develop products and a virtual community for the responsible fatherhood field.

Contracting Office Address:

Parklawn Building Room 5-101
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, Maryland 20857

Primary Point of Contact.:

James J. Horkan

james.horkan@psc.hhs.gov

Phone: 3014431658

. . . .Notice that once this website got up and running — someone apparently let the legislation slip through the first round — they are not limiting it to ONLY nationally recognized nonprofit fatherhood promotion organizations.

Consider  – – why does it have to be national?

Answer — for centralized control and uniformity of practice, this is important if one is going towards a dictatorship, as opposed to local accountability and feedback looks.  It’s more efficient.

Why nonprofit?  The Feds have no problem doling out fatherhood/marriage promotion stuff to FOR-profits (like ICF International) although typically many are nonprofits.

Suggested Answer (my opinion) — Apart from it wouldn’t do to have a nationally recognized organization regarding reducing welfare (public debt burden) receiving millions of $$ OPENLY being a for-profit {{although the supporting contractors very often are — telecommunications firms, PR firms, Maximus (child support), etc}}, there’s also that matter that nonprofit registration (definitely on the state level) is very lax, and as I’ve seen in three years of blogging here — like AFCC originally (and come to think of, probably now — are they registered in every state of the union?) — a lot of the organizations simply don’t keep up with their filings.

When they are not registering in the states properly, that means people IN the states are having commerce (nonprofit commerce) taking place that they don’t have the source of, cannot see the incorporations of properly and may not really know whether it’s legitimate or not.

For example:

I recall the three different EIN#s for one of the Northern California mediation-promo gropus (I think it was the Judith Wallerstein Center for the Family in Transition) had three different EIN#s and locations.  Janet Johnston, ?? Roseby, and others conferencing and writing together, referencing each other, were on one or more of these).

I still have not located the Fathers and Families Coalition of America  {“FFCA”} (another “nationally recognized group,” right?) nonprofit filing — I hope to eventually; it is not incidental, but common in the field.

Here’s an affiliate of the above FFCA group, a major one, based in Los Angeles:  Notice date of formation:

Are C0085636 (old) and C3365104 (2011) filing their charitable returns?  One is too early to tell, perhaps.  Do YOU feel like checking out all of these, or should every one take it on faith?

Why is there a new registration for this Children’s Institute, is there something wrong with the older one, at the same address?  Also (I’m looking at it’s tax return), the Principal Officer of the older one (formed in 1917) is Mary Emmons, who is the Agent for the newer one.  I look forward to reading those tax returns…

The “Children’s Institute, Inc.” “helps children who have been affected by abuse or violence.” (2009 tax return I’m viewing) Of four Program Service Accomplishments, the third (“4c” on page 2 of the return) shows up as a Leadership Institute running a Federally Funded Project Fatherhood, “a federally funded demonstration program that encourages fathers to become more active in raising their (THEIR, does this ownership pronoun include the mothers?) children.  CII (this group) also provides SEED FUNDING AND TRAINING FOR OTHER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS THAT WANT TO ADOPT THE PROJECT FATHERHOOD MODEL – PROJECT ERIN.”   (the description really should be read).

Funding for the older group, by EIN# search (which is below):

Of these, it has been dumping this much into exclusively “fatherhood” grants, although the category I sorted on (for this institute), “CFDA 93086” is also for Healthy Marriage.  Do you see any of the below millions which seem to relate to healthy marriages?

Another field it’s into is Abandoned Infants, and healing children traumatized by violence, and Head Start  (Below, Ron Banks is the Principal Investigator, because Hershel K. Swinger is no longer with us in this life…).  This is a LOT of different grants for one organization that isn’t (for reasons I don’t see yet) filing its RRFs with California’s OAG, which surely the OAG must know by now.  It is listed as “vocational, training school” on HHS.

This group is listed (I believe) as an affiliate of another group whose nonprofit filing (locally OR nationally) I can’t locate, but who mothers should definitely be aware of, particularly as they are REAL good at the franchise system through HHS.  Click on the website and then click on the logo showing their Affiliates.  The United States has been divided up into regions, the Western Region being (as we speak) entirely California — 16 locales — and regionally coordinated by an Institution I’ve posted on here, and the post will show a huge colorful umbrella of little baby organizations under the main one.  This institute is not an affiliate, but clearly doing all-right by the field…..

Basically AZFFC is one huge “get us the grants, and set up trainings” system, and good at it too.  See Jeffrey Leving, Esq. (Chicago area), which doesn’t hurt.  Obama got his endorsement; Leving got a White House Appointment (faith-based, as I recall).

http://azffc.org/

ANYHOW, amazingly, the Domestic Violence (Industry) didn’t see fit to tell ITS clients (primarily women) about the existence of this industry AS an industry.  That would, of course, be biting the hand (HHS/DOJ) that feeds it, and contraindicated.

THE NEW CHILDREN’S INSTITUTE:

I decided to look up the NEW one (formed 03/2011), same registered agent address, same entity address, as to its state corporation history.  It’s absolutely amazing how many assets it has for a startup charity; If I didn’t know better, I’d say someone just transferred them to a new corporate name (and, why?)

(its details, then I’ll showthe other charity at the same address. distinguished here by background colors, but by other identifying numbers (and date of organization, etc.)

THE OLD (1917 INCORPORATION):

“NO RELATED DOCUMENTS” — is this organization exempt from showing its stuff to California residents, for example, an RRF showing what branches of government some of this money is coming from?   It is producing IRS forms and contributions to it are tax-deductible:

Apparently it waited (from 1917) until World War I was completed, and the county declared bankruptcy , the Trading with the Enemy (aka “Give us your Gold”) etc. were in place to become a nonprofit organization in 1935…. Per California’s Charity Research Tool:

Here’s a faith-based set (some of them) of incorporations using the word “Homeboy” — some may recall that Father Gregory Boyle, S.J., was prominently featured as a member of an about 13-person task force from the Administration’s (DOJ’s) “Defending Children Initiative” — a taskforce on “Children Exposed to Violence,” particularly after the Penn State Univ. child abuse scandal (Sandusky) ….

They may be different enterprises, but I’d still like to show the repeated formation of different corporations in the fatherhood field (also true in the marriage field):

Homeboy organizations were formed in 1991, 1996 (NB _- welfare reform, and who formed it) — 2000, 2006, and two in 2007..  HALF of these are now functional.

Homeboy Hotline (2007, 101 Hyde Street, SF= a PO Box in Civic Center) has an EIN and has not registered as a charity with the state of California:

Organization Name Registration Number Record Type Registration Status City State Registration Type Record Type HOMEBOY HOTLINE, INC. Charity Not Registered SAN FRANCISCO CA Charity Registration Charity 1

Father SJ Boyle is prominent, no?  Irish-American Jesuit from Los Angeles, ordained 1984 (note:  Homeboy Enterprises 1996), here’s a 1999 Article on him & his work:

Jesuit Greg Boyle, Gang Priest

Pico Gardens and Aliso Village, sometimes called “The Projects,” is the largest tract of subsidized housing west of the Mississippi. This huge piece of social engineering hasn’t worked out so well. It’s poor, crowded and packed with gangs.

(yeah, see Catherine Austin Fitts on Narco-Dollars and the relationship to HUD projects)

Some of Pico/Aliso overlaps Boyle Heights (different era, different Boyle). Within those 16 square miles, 60 gangs claim 10,000 members, Hispanic and black. This equals violence and plenty of action at the Hollenbeck division of the Los Angeles Police Department—if Father Greg Boyle doesn’t get there first.

In two days hanging around Father Greg’s office, a modest though vividly painted storefront on L.A.’s East First Street, G-Dog or G, as the kids affectionately call the Jesuit, reveals life in a very fast lane. The priest’s office—nine feet square maximum—is a windowless, unfinished drywall box in the epicenter of the 600-square-foot headquarters of Jobs for a Future (JFF). He has an open door in—and an open door beyond—to other offices, storage for Homeboy Industries silkscreened items and the only bathroom. Traffic through Greg’s doorway feels as hectic as the L.A. freeway system.

  And the story that goes with it.

Architects of Peace Foundation Article

“Nothing stops a bullet like a job” is the cornerstone of Father Greg Boyle’s faithful devotion to end gang violence, and the motto he spurred to life by creating the largest gang intervention program in the United States. One of eight children, Fr. Boyle was born in Los Angeles, in 1954, and went on to study both English and Divinity before serving as pastor of Dolores Mission Church in 1986, where he immediately began to discover pathways of outreach to the surrounding community of East LA. In 1992, at the height of the LA riots and brutal chaos in Los Angeles County, Boyle responded with action, creating Jobs For a Future (JFF), a revolutionary, brave program that offered education, child and human services, and legitimate employment opportunities to current and future gang members. Unlike the police forces, Boyle didn’t view the young gang members as inhumane; rather, he saw them as particularly human, and vulnerable, and above all, able: so he put them to work, rather than into penitentiaries. Rival gang members worked side-by-side in Boyle’s first humanitarian business venture, Homeboy Bakery, which soon grew so successful that it launched the non-profit Homeboy Industries-currently employing over 300 “street” youths, and turning away no one who asks for help. The impact of Fr. Boyle’s work has been profound, and Homeboy Industries continues to be upheld as a model for reforming gang communities across the nation. Amongst numerous honors, Fr. Boyle received the California Peace Prize in 2000. Fr. Boyle’s voice continues to ringout across university campuses, in the pages of the LA Times, and in conversations with gang members and street vendors: love unconditionally, he says. And shows us how everyday.

And the company that goes with the stories:

Legal Services at Homeboy Industries:

Homeboy’s on-site lawyer provides free consultations and referrals pertaining to many legal matters, especially criminal law, including bench warrants and post-conviction matters, immigration law, employment law and family law, addressing such issues as divorce, child custody and visitation, and child support. Petitions for dismissal or expungements are provided as a key service that reduce serious barriers to employment.

Contact Location:

Homeboy Industries

130 W. Bruno St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Half Day Training will include:
–  Attendance at a Homeboy Industries’ Morning Meeting.
–  Tour of Homeboy’s headquarters.
–  Panel discussion with select homeboys and homegirls, program staff and leadership and social enterprise (business) managers.
Cost:  $100 per person
Full Day of Training will include: 
–  Attendance at a Homeboy Industries’ Morning Meeting.
–  Tour of Homeboy’s headquarters.
–  Individual discussions with program staff and leadership, and the social enterprises (business)managers.
–  Intimate panel discussion with select homeboys and homegirls.
Cost: $200 per person

This going concern is the firm that was formed in the year 2000, after the other one went down (addresses and the name matches)

It is definitely taking donations, has signs of getting some access/visitation help (see “free lawyer on site” although it may be pro bono) – so is it a legitimate charity also?

(I keyed in the corporation #above to find)

I am posting (pasting) the contents of the above registration for an idea of how much money is processing through this nonprofit. Notice (from top to bottom) the general upward curve of revenue (Assets/revenues) and that it evidently gave the State of California NO 990s for the years:  2001 (its first year of operation), 02, 03, 05, 06, 07, or 2011 — it has gotten two delinquency letters and is now delinquent as a charity; its RRFs (for the state) are also very spotty.  Looking briefly at the fundraising events underneath — the first fundraiser produced pretty good revenues ($377K or so), then withdrew its revenues, the second one, they are awaiting reporting.  Clearly, financially, this is a GOING concern — but where are it’s tax returns going?

Contrast that with the publicity.  I’ll bet a good amount of fatherhood funding went to this one.  Notice above, participation in this program also makes free legal consultation available to connect reformed (supposedly) and reforming gang members and people who have been incarcerated with their children — those children have other parents also; do these children (many women, I imagine) have free legal help to defend themselves in a custody matter, or custody matter whose aim is reducing or eliminating (all but) child support?  based on my personal experiencing trying to find such help (from a legal services firm) post-DV; the answer is — NO.

To make it clear — this sounds like a great work, ministry and project.  All I ask is that, especially as it’s so well-loved, so famous, and so well-decorated, is that it file its tax returns, being a charity — and with the state, not just the IRS, as it is required to by law, or explain to the public why they cannot — too busy giving guided tours and receiving awards?

Note:  the links will expire, you’d have to search again.  The RRFs are to have a page citing which branches of government are donating to the cause… (currently I can’t open either).  ALSO, typically there would be on-line articles of incorporation (showing board members, etc.) for an organization of this prominence — but there are not.  I DNK why.

(the spotty formatting above is my attempt to reduce margins and font size, manually.)

Note — no tax return received (at least in California) under this EIN# (charity) for the year 2010.   The grants below (HHS) I looked up (you can click) are Sept. 2010 forward, substance abuse treatment project (discretionary):

And this nonprofit has been warned about delinquency since 2009 Oct & December and has a clear pattern of not filing at the state level.  I think it’s accepted this a California nonprofit, right?  This is a project of national significance…. so I guess exceptions can be made for menial tasks, like filing with the state?

(*link to her site, dated today.  Experience with Death, Bereavement, Adolescent High-risk, Bulimia/Anorexia, etc.) LinkedIn mentions her as director of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Issues from Jul 2007- Apr 2011 (the years it went delinquent starting 2009)(helping parents of children with disability)(involved with a project funded by the California Endowment through FVPF, 2011, interviewing 20 Mexican/Latina women 18-35 how they got involved in gangs..you can see how (browse transcripts), including escaping violence or abuse at home…

Delinquency letter 0015483 (Oct. 2009) is fairly stern in tone: After receiving no response (per next Delinquency letter) a “Second Notice” letter went out dated Oct. 16, 2009), with same contents,

WARNING OF ASSESSMENT OF PENALTIES AND LATE FEES, AND SUSPENSION OF REGISTERED STATUS

October 7, 2009

The Registry of Charitable Trusts has not received annual report(s) for the captioned organization, as follows:

1. The $75.00* renewal fee was not received. Please send a check in that amount, payable to “Attorney General’s Registry of Charitable Trusts”.

2. Registration Renewal Fee (RRF-1) Report (s), together with required renewal fee, for fiscal year(s) ending: 12/31/03

3. IRS Form 990, 990-PF, or 990-EZ report(s) for fiscal year(s) ending: 12/31/04 & 12/31/08

*NOTE: The RRF-1 for fiscal year ending 12/31/08 was received with check #11426 for $75.00. The renewal fee for fiscal year ending 12/31/08 is $150.00, so the amount listed above is the remaining balance due.

Failure to timely file required reports violates Government Code section 12586.

Unless the above-described report(s) are filed with the Registry of Charitable Trusts within thirty (30) days of the date of this letter, the following will occur:

1. The California Franchise Tax Board will be notified to disallow the tax exemption of the above-named entity. In addition, the above-named entity will be billed $800 plus interest by Franchise Tax Board, which represents the minimum tax penalty. (See Revenue and Taxation Code section 23703).

2. Late fees will be imposed by the Registry of Charitable Trusts for each month or partial month for which the report(s) are delinquent. Directors, trustees, officers and return preparers responsible for failure to timely file these reports are also personally liable for payment of all late fees.

{{NOTE:  Who are the trustees & officers are not readily available here, to public}}

PLEASE NOTE: Charitable assets cannot be used to pay these avoidable costs. Accordingly, directors, trustees, officers and return preparers responsible for failure to timely file the above-described report(s) are personally liable for payment of all penalties, interest and other costs incurred to restore exempt status.

3. In accordance with the provisions of Government Code section 12598, subdivision (e), the Attorney General will suspend the registration of the above-named entity

The 2003 RRF, which they finally provided, indicates government grants received, but not from where (i.e., 2nd page is missing when Question B6 was answered “yes.”  There should be an RRF for every single year — but there are only RRFs showing for 3 years, and only 2 of them are complete…..

From the 2008 RRFs, government (this section lists fed or state) funding came from two sources:

• NAP CITY OF LOS ANGELES-FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT DIVISION 1200 W. 7TH ST.4TH FLOOR LOS ANGELES, CA 90017 {{and “NAP” is ???}}
• EMPLOYMENT DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT;  {{“EDD”} WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT P.O. BOX 826880, MIC 69 SACRAMENTO, CA 94280-0001 DAVID CANNEDY; 916-654-7953

From the 2009 RRF, there were more funding, they again have a vehicle donation program operated by “Riteway,” (see above0  and they have an audited financial reports (it was checked, but not shown here):

Homeboy Industries 2009 Government Grants:

• Mayor’s Office-Resource Development Office 200 N. Spring St. Rm 303 Los Angeles, CA 90012
• City of los Angeles- CDD Financial Management Division 1200 W. St. Floor Los Angeles, CA 90017
• Employment Development Department Workforce Services Division P.O. Box 826880, MIC 50 Sacramento, CA 94280-0001
• Prototypes 5601 W. Slauson Ave. #200 Culver City, CA 90230 Attn: Orenda Warren
• Special Services Group-SSG 605 W. Olympic Blvd.# 600 Los Angeles, CA 90015

Looking up the DUNS# for Homeboys under USASPending — it shows federal grants totalling a little more, $1,461,795, and from a few more sources, including Employment training, “EARMARK,” and speaking engagements for Father Boyle.  From what I can tell NONE of this income is reported on the state-level RRFs– no mention of any federal billing shows up, and they haven’t been reporting all of these years.  The three “Star” grants of $399K are on there, plus $300K earmark for training, and a $255 speakers fee for Father Boyle:

(La Voz de Aztlan Editorial, 9/4/2001 talks about Fr. Boyle standing up during the LAPD Ramparts scandals, but also talks about priesthood & child-molestations:

A Critique of: “We Have Met the Monster, and It Is Us!” (That was written by Father Gregory Boyle, S.J.)

Click, click, click (street addresses), change windows to charitable returns search at the Office of Attorney General, search, click compare (repeat several times), go to the national IRS sites and find whether there are tax returns if they aren’t at the state level, search, click, search, click — this is public money.  How many of the public are going to do this, or realize there is a need to, if they want accountability?

After identifying an organization corporately, then one should, ideally, go to the source of the grants, and find out WHICH of the multiple organizations or name-changes actually was disbursed a check, and if it was the same one depositing/cashing it, i.e. this is exactly what Marv Byer (in 1999 or so) discovered, when suing for information about the AFCC originally — which unearthed what was termed a Judges’ Slush fund. … At least one mother I know did a similar process and found more discrepancies between the front and the back of the check image — i.e., it was written out to one organization, but the routing number on the back was from a different one’s bank account, commonly called money laundering.  I’m not saying all groups do — I’m saying, SOME do and no one knows how much. We do know that one lawsuit discovered a long while ago $14 million sitting around Los Angeles DA’s office undistributed, and that more recently $54 million of extra special funds for parks was found in California, at a time they were going to close the parks.

In general an extensive network of nonprofits, while I “get” the concept — cannot be adequately monitored, or at least isn’t being.  So it would be the organization of choice were something fishy to be going on.  Sorry to bring that up.. but it’s a real situation.

This means it’s literally possible for the HHS or other funders to move (launder?) money to organizations that do not exist, or do not maintain corporate status.  This has happened in Nevada (Faith-Based Solutions, LLC; a fraud — got FR funding), there have been not just a few, but repeated incidents in this field were audits were required after the program was run, showing up intrinsic design flaws, lack of checks and balances, and overbilling, billing for things that did not take place and so forth.  In must sampling from the HHS database, I’ve found many small groups which got, perhaps $50K to start with — and disappeared.  However, there are also large ones.

There’s a reason they should be nonprofits — no one is going to follow up properly.

_ _ _ _ In the material on the solicitation, it notes that only three groups applied for this $7 million grant.  How could that be?