Nearly two weeks after the Galveston County Health District ordered the closure of The Children’s Center’s transitional housing shelter, the nonprofit’s board director announced Tuesday the president and CEO agreed to retire.
The shelter director also resigned coincidentally one day before the county issued the order, board chair Hilda Torres said.
The two employees are out after health inspectors found evidence of bed bugs, roaches, and a rat infestation inside buildings meant to provide short-term transitional housing for children and their families.
Health inspectors reported finding rat droppings in living areas, kitchens, bedrooms, and even covering the water heater, which could have potentially contaminated the water supply, according to a letter from the local health authority Dr. Philip Kaiser.
“We all should have done better ... As far as where these droppings were and what part of the buildings they were, we don’t know,” board vice chair David Holmen said. “These residents, they have privacies. We can’t just walk into a room.”
Representatives of the nonprofit claimed they had no complaints from residents about the conditions and were unaware that the conditions even existed. A top staffer said she was “shocked” when she learned about the findings in the media.
“I was a resident here at the Children’s Center when it was closed down,” resident Jamesha Goodner said. “It is not a dirty place. It’s a clean place as long as you keep it that way. The people who live here are responsible for keeping the place clean.”
The discovery of deplorable conditions came as the health district investigated a child living at the facility who tested positive for lead poisoning. A total of four children have tested positive for lead poisoning, two of which require medical attention due to high concentrations, officials said.
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission confirmed to KPRC 2 the state agency is investigating the nonprofit over whether it’s illegally operating an unregulated childcare operation.
The nonprofit came under fire in 2018 after a child drowned when an employee took minors to the Galveston beach during a red flag warning, court documents obtained by KPRC 2 Investigates revealed. A wrongful death lawsuit was settled in 2020.
The shelter is now shuttered, ordered to come up with a mitigation plan, and county commissioners are moving forward with eviction proceedings. Nonprofit leaders said it could be a year and a half before they are serving a vulnerable population again.
“Let’s work together to find a solution,” executive vice president Hilda Garcia said. “We have a homeless situation here in Galveston County.”