LAS VEGAS -- Clark County Commissioners held off on making a decision on funding for a nonprofit organization embroiled in an investigation into the group's founder.
Kathleen Vermillion founded the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth. She is accused of misappropriating funds from the nonprofit. The commission is looking at taking away roughly half of the $214,000 it gives to the agency in grants. Vermillion is no longer affiliated with the organization.
The group says a cut like that would be devastating to the kids looking for a way off southern Nevada streets. Vincent Pollard works with those kids every day. He sees the tough circumstances they are coming from.
"She had all of her possessions just sitting there. She was pregnant and was kicked out of the house by her boyfriend," Pollard said about one of his clients.
He was at Tuesday's commission meeting ready to ask them to leave the grant money in place.
"Contrary to what some may have said, we are about homeless kids, period," Pollard said. "If that funding is cut, it will really damage that ability to help those kids."
The executive director of the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, Arash Ghafoori, says cuts would have an immediate impact on basics like food. He also says they will have impact on long-term programs like those helping homeless kids get into college. He also says the money means jobs.
"That is two case managers and support staff. There would be no one there with the capacity to deliver," Ghafoori said.
Ghafoori submitted concerns about Vermillion's spending of agency money to the attorney general. The county audited the organization. Ghafoori says the audit found no financial misappropriations.
