Latest news with #Endeavors
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Elon Musk's DOGE, HHS ended $18 million contract with San Antonio nonprofit over empty migrant housing facility
Since Donald Trump took office, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been on a mission to fight waste, fraud, and abuse in the government. DOGE also has an X account highlighting the actions it is taking to allegedly help taxpayers save money. In late February, DOGE's X account sent out a message reporting it had ended a contract with a San Antonio non-profit called Family Endeavors, claiming that by having HHS terminate the contract, they'd saved taxpayers over $215 million per year. I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Home prices in America could fly through the roof in 2025 — here's the big reason why and how to take full advantage (with as little as $10) Americans with upside-down car loans owe more money than ever before — and drivers can't keep up. Here are 3 ways to cut your monthly costs ASAP Endeavors, however, claims it was fulfilling its mandate, and that its contract was not an example of fraudulent spending. The non-profit issued a statement, saying that 'any claims of corruption or mismanagement are baseless.' So, what exactly happened, and what was the contact DOGE put an end to? According to the DOGE post, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was paying around $18 million per month to Endeavors to run a facility in Pecos, Texas, that was intended for use housing unaccompanied migrant children. However, at the time, the facility was sitting empty. DOGE officials felt that paying millions per month for an unused shelter wasn't the best use of taxpayer money — especially as it noted the occupancy of national licensed facilities is now below 20% — so it ended the contract. Endeavors, however, believes it was acting within the scope of its obligations and that the service it was providing was a valuable one that was in line with its obligations. In an interview with News 4 San Antonio, a source from Endeavors shared that the shelter had been occupied from March 2021 to March 2023, and again from September 2023 to February 2024, over which time it served 40,000 unaccompanied minors. When the government stopped using the shelter in March 2024, Endeavors said funding was still needed to pay all the expenses associated with keeping the shelter ready to be used again at any time — like its lease, medical facilities, vaccine refrigeration and the hundreds of cameras required for security. It also said federal officials were on site daily, and that the federal government decided which locations should be used as shelters for migrants and not the nonprofit itself. Regardless, the contract has now come to an end so Endeavors' work with the government on this issue is halted, at least for now, along with payments to the nonprofit. Read more: Jamie Dimon issues a warning about the US stock market — says prices are 'kind of inflated.' Crashproof your portfolio with these 3 rock-solid strategies The DOGE post on X didn't just focus on the emptiness of the facility. It also aimed to highlight the connections Endeavors had with the Biden administration in order to cast doubt on whether the contract was on the up-and-up in the first place. The X post stated that, 'A former ICE employee and Biden transition team member joined Family Endeavors in early 2021 and helped secure a sole-source HHS contract for overflow housing from licensed care facilities. As a result, Family Endeavors' cash and portfolio of investments grew from $8.3M in 2020 to $520.4M in 2023.' While this might seem like a conflict of interest, Endeavors' statement indicated the nonprofit had been serving migrant families under contracts with the government since 2012 and that it was just one of 15 organizations contracting with the government in 2021 to try to help house migrants. 'Our selection was based on our proven experience, capacity, and more than a decade of performance,' the nonprofit stated. Evidence of a connection with former government officials alone isn't, by itself, evidence of corruption or wrongdoing, so readers of DOGE and Endeavors' statements can draw their own conclusions from the competing facts. It's worth noting, though, that Musk's companies SpaceX and Tesla have been awarded $18 billion in federal contracts since 2015 — although those contracts were largely awarded under the Biden administration. Still, some have questioned whether Musk himself may have a conflict of interest in determining what contracts will be cut as they believe it's unlikely his own company's contracts will be on the chopping block — unlike the contract with Endeavor. One dozen eggs in America now costs a record high of $4.95 — here are 3 simple ways to inflation-proof your retirement portfolio Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Protect your retirement savings with these 5 essential money moves — most of which you can complete in just minutes This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The 'Michelle Obama' house in Fayetteville: Cameras long gone but mission remains
For many people, the two-story gray-frame house with red trim and impressive pillars on Langdon Street remains the 'Michelle Obama house.' It is easy to see why. I was there on the sweltering July day in 2011 when then-first lady Obama came for the big reveal on the Jubilee House — a house that folks in the Fayetteville community had helped build and that was featured that year on the hit show, 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.' Opinion Pitts: From J. Cole to Michelle Obama, a tour of Fayetteville's unique connections Despite the heat, the atmosphere was festive and hundreds came out — many of them volunteers who had donned the white hard hats and helped build the 7,000-square foot house just down the road from Fayetteville State University. It was an unforgettable moment in the 'Ville. The house would also serve an important purpose: It was to be a transitional space for homeless women veterans and their children. 'Words cannot describe what I'm seeing right now,' one resident said back then. 'I can't wait to move on, and I hope the next lady who lives in that room will enjoy it just the same.' More: PHOTOS: Reveille Retreat A lot has happened in the nearly 13 years since then. A company named Endeavors took over operations in 2017 after complaints of mismanagement under previous ownership led to investigations by the North Carolina Secretary of State's Charitable Solicitation Licensing Division and the state Attorney General. Endeavors, formerly Family Endeavors, rechristened the space the Reveille Retreat. The nonprofit based in San Antonio, Texas, works with people in crisis and had already been serving 400 veterans every year in Cumberland County, according to its own story about the house at the Endeavors website. Opinion Pitts: Fayetteville day center for homeless opens. Two stories show promise and challenges 'Endeavors already had an idea of what they wanted the Reveille Retreat to look like,' the website states. 'They envisioned modeling it after our Fairweather Lodge in San Antonio, Texas, with permanent supportive housing as well as case management and life skills training. 'With this plan in mind, we went to work fixing water damage, structural issues, and other problem areas that needed to be addressed to bring the house up to safety standards.' Ramps, wider doorways, new stoves and refrigerators were among renovations as the retreat underwent $400,000 in renovations and reopened in three years, according to the account. On Friday, I reached out to Endeavors in San Antonio for more information. Kimberly Harle Solis, the chief marketing and communications officer for Endeavors in San Antonio, said on Monday that someone would get back to me with more information, but I did not hear from anyone. The services at the Reveille Retreat are geared toward veteran women who struggle with chronic illness or disabilities or mental health challenges who are homeless. The home gives them 'a safe place to regroup and get back on their feet,' according to the Endeavors site. They can take parenting classes and job training while their children can receive homework assistance. Endeavors made a go at offering similar services for men at the Enfield House, but it closed in 2021 after three years. The nonprofit, according to its website, does extend similar programs countywide, as at Reveille, through the Bonanza Project, which seeks to get people into homes while building their independence; reducing symptoms; lessening periods of homelessness; and decreasing the need for acute psychiatric care. In this way, the "Michelle Obama" house maintains its role in a crucial way that continues long after the cameras left Langdon Street. Opinion Editor Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@ This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: After Michelle Obama: A Fayetteville home sticks to mission | Opinion
