Misteriosa
11-24-2009, 10:35 AM
they certainly did look sketchy...
If you live anywhere in the NYC area, you've probably seen a "United Homeless Organization" table on the sidewalk, staffed by a volunteer who looks homeless himself. (If you don't live here, imagine a year-round, homeless Salvation Army Santa.) If you thought the set-ups looked a little sketchy, you were right: the UHO is a "sham," according to NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.
Back in 2001, the New York Times pointed out that the people working the table are themselves homeless and keep whatever they collect, minus a $15 fee. That makes the phrase "donate money for the homeless" a little weird, since really you're donating to one particular person and not to the organization on the plastic jug. The New York Times let the issue drop, while the New York Post agitated for an investigation.
Attorney General Cuomo has now filed a complaint that says his office has determined the UHO isn't a charitable organization at all--it's basically just a couple of people who rent out equipment and a brand identity to homeless people, and then make a profit off of their panhandling:
http://consumerist.com/2009/11/homeless-charity-revealed-as-a-fraud.html
here is the NYT link:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/homeless-organization-called-fraud/
If you live anywhere in the NYC area, you've probably seen a "United Homeless Organization" table on the sidewalk, staffed by a volunteer who looks homeless himself. (If you don't live here, imagine a year-round, homeless Salvation Army Santa.) If you thought the set-ups looked a little sketchy, you were right: the UHO is a "sham," according to NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.
Back in 2001, the New York Times pointed out that the people working the table are themselves homeless and keep whatever they collect, minus a $15 fee. That makes the phrase "donate money for the homeless" a little weird, since really you're donating to one particular person and not to the organization on the plastic jug. The New York Times let the issue drop, while the New York Post agitated for an investigation.
Attorney General Cuomo has now filed a complaint that says his office has determined the UHO isn't a charitable organization at all--it's basically just a couple of people who rent out equipment and a brand identity to homeless people, and then make a profit off of their panhandling:
http://consumerist.com/2009/11/homeless-charity-revealed-as-a-fraud.html
here is the NYT link:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/homeless-organization-called-fraud/