Wednesday, May 23, 2007
1998 Grant to Shiloh for 1533 9th Street, NW
According to a December 10, 1999 Washington City Paper article, Shiloh "scored a $340,000 grant from D.C.'s Department of Housing and Community Development to pay for part of the makeover of a pink-brick house at 1533 9th Street into Jammin' Java--a coffeehouse that will target youth through special programs." A WaPo editorial from 2002 states that, although the coffeehouse was never built, the funds were never repaid. Does anyone know the story behind these funds and if they were indeed repaid?
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12 comments:
While I am not surprised, I am deeply disappointed that a church would continue to not live up to its professed standards and morals. Matthew 25:40.
Thanks for sharing this information with the public.
JCM - Hopefully further investigation will show that there is no wrongdoing by the church.
I found this large .pdf link:
http://www.dhcd.dc.gov/dhcd/LIB/dhcd/info/pdf/caper.pdf
which *may* indicate (on page 160 of 249) that it wasn't until the year 2000 that $100k of the $340k grant was actually disbursed. It says that the 1533 9th Street project was underway and that the target completion of the Jammin Java facility was March 2001.
So it seems that at very least, 100k was disbursed and, by all appearances, there's nothing to show for it. Hopefully the money was returned.
According to this document, www.dcwatch.com/govern/DHCD1998.htm, the project was supposed to cost $621,000, $340,000 of which would be provided by dc.
An inspector general's report from March 2004 notes that:
On June 24, 1999, DHCD approved funding to a subrecipient for the
rehabilitation of a property located at 1533 Ninth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., to be used
as a recreational facility for youth in the community. The total amount to be provided by
DHCD was $340,000. After DHCD provided an advance of $100,000 to the subrecipient,
DHCD determined that the subrecipient could not obtain additional funds from other sources
necessary to complete the project; therefore, the project was terminated. The subrecipient
subsequently repaid DHCD $97,000 in June 2002.
A review of financial records showed that DHCD had not de-obligated the remaining
$240,000 of project funds, although the project had been terminated. We brought this matter
to the attention of the DHCD Comptroller.
It's deja vu, man. We were called racists when we challenged them on the Jammin' Java money. You can anticipate the same now.
So let me get this straight:
+ Shiloh had $340k of essentially free money towards a project that would reach out to and help children AND that would bring one of its vacant buildings back to life.
+ As a condition of its use of the $340k, Shiloh had to contribute $280k (less than half of the total value of the project) to the completion of Jammin Java.
+ Despite its vast un-liquidated resources (e.g., its numerous valuable but vacant properties), Shiloh couldn’t come up with the financing for this project.
I think that says a lot about Shiloh’s leadership, its values, and its ministry.
shaw rez, I do not think you understand the ministry of Shiloh.
Sometimes I wonder if I read the same bible as Shiloh or worship the same "Jesus that loves the little children"
jmc39 - haha... I think I'm getting a pretty clear understanding of Shiloh's ministry. The forfeiting of the $340k Jammin Java grant through Shiloh's leaders being too greedy to sell one of its many vacant, un-used, neighborhood-blighting properties--much less raise the money from its own wealthy congregation--is telling. I imagine they were hoping for a total handout from the government to finance this project.
As neighbors often say, "Jesus Saves, Shiloh Speculates."
Seems like the good Reverend is sucking the church funds dry. Afterall he is the one who DEMANDED that they build that huge family life center and annex. It was to be his "legacy". After the fire supposedely they had several options on how to rebuild and the cost. After the financial analysis and opinions were delivered the Rev. Wallace decided to go against the paid feasibility results and better judgement and build the huge (more expensive) structure that you see today on 9th Street.
Everyone wonders why the church doesn't just do something with the properties. Shiloh probably doesn't have the funds to fix up any of those condemned properties. But they have the money to send Rev. Wallace to South Africa, etc.
What a joke. Don't let these hypocrites off the hook.
sinners
Shaw Rez, thanks again for your great work. By way of update, i contacted the DC Condemnation Board and they are now taking action with respect to properties on 8th street (1543, 1600, and 1512). As many of us know, 1512 is owned by an accounting firm in Hawaii, and the other two are Shiloh properties. Let's all stay active and involved in our efforts to imporve our community.
LET'S KEEP THE PRESSURE ON!!!
Anon @ 4:07 - Great news and great work! You didn't, by chance, mention or hear anything about Shiloh's other vacant 9th Street properties or Michael Sendar's property (at 9th and Q)?
Anon @ 5:25 - Agreed! The neighborhood has suffered long enough at the hands of negligent property owners.
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