Our Father's House also runs a family shelter, two sober houses and a housing assistance program. Like other emergency homeless shelters in Massachusetts, it receives funding from the state and federal government, as well as private donations. The Our Father’s House shelter is the only permanent emergency shelter for unaccompanied adults in the Fitchburg-Leominster area. Our Father's House said it is working to strengthen workplace conduct and training policies.ĭoug Pizzi, a public relations consultant hired by the organization, said the executive director, Judith Nest-Pasierb, and board would have no further comment. “The findings show our staff took all of these allegations seriously, documented them, and took appropriate action on them before and during the investigation," Antonioni said. In the statement, the chairman of the Our Father's House board, Robert Antonioni, called the investigation a "thorough vetting" of the allegations against MacLean and the staff's handling of the complaints. Seven people in addition to MacLean refused to be interviewed. The investigator did not interview anyone who claimed to be a victim of physical misconduct, according to the release. He also reviewed documents including personnel files. The investigator interviewed 21 people, including current and former staff of the shelter, community members and law enforcement personnel. He refused comment when reached by WBUR after he was placed on leave and when he resigned.Īccording to a written statement from Our Father's House regarding the findings, MacLean's resignation came "after refusing several requests to be interviewed by OFH’s investigator." MacLean has not responded to a request for comment. MacLean was placed on paid leave in late February and resigned June 1. Police closed the investigation in April, saying they had been unable to find any evidence of criminal wrongdoing. The shelter hired an outside attorney to conduct the investigation after advocates alleged at a Fitchburg Human Rights Commission meeting in January that Kevin MacLean, the organization's longtime director of homeless services, abused guests.Īdvocates who spoke at the meeting say they had been reporting those allegations to law enforcement authorities and other government officials for years.įitchburg Police launched their own investigation after the meeting and encouraged anyone who had experienced mistreatment by MacLean to come forward. (Jesse Costa/WBUR) This article is more than 1 year old.Īn independent investigation has found "insufficient evidence" that the now-former manager of a Fitchburg homeless shelter operated by Our Father's House sexually and physically assaulted people seeking help from the organization. Kevin MacLean speaks with a guest checking in to the Our Father’s House shelter in 2019.
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