Homeless Boss New York Sister Jocelyn Carter’s Firm Wins $1.7 Billion Shelter Contracts

Providing asylum is a family affair in the city’s homeless department.

According to data compiled by City Comptroller Brad Lander’s office, homeless services administrator sister Jocelyn Carter’s firm has won 17 agency contracts worth a staggering $1.7 billion.

Carter’s sister, Valerie Smith, is vice president of New York City housing programs at Westhab Inc. from Yonkers, which runs the city’s homeless shelters.

She has been the chief administrator there since 2017.

Seventeen social service contracts were awarded to DHS, many in Smith’s last years with the agency, as the city grapples with record homelessness brought on by a massive influx of migrants from the southern border.

Three others were awarded by the Ministry of Youth and Community Development and two were awarded by the Ministry of Education for a total of $4.7 million.

Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens) demanded an investigation by the Department of Investigations and the Board of Conflicts of Interest after hearing of an unusual sibling relationship involving the city’s head of homeless services and a prime contractor contracted by the agency.

Holden has complained numerous times about problems at a shelter for 180 single men run by Westhab on Cooper Avenue in Glendale in his area, including complaints of drug use, violence, masturbation in public, and threatening neighbors, some of which were exposed in the latest CBS report. . September.

He suspected something was wrong when he said he had not received an adequate response from Westhub or the city’s homeless authorities.

“It all stinks to the skies. Why is Westhab getting all this money?” Holden said Sunday. “Looks like they have someone inside. They are protected.

“Things are not going well at the shelter on Cooper Avenue. There’s a mess.”

In a Feb. 8 letter to DOI and COIB, Holden said, “I recently learned from a reliable source that Department of Homeless Services Administrator Jocelyn Carter is the sister of Westhab Vice President of New York Shelter Programs Valerie Smith. I am concerned that next of kin may work under the same contract despite the potential conflict of interest.”

He told investigators and ethics authorities that 911 received 1,500 shelter calls and 156 residential arrests.

“As you know, corruption and criminal activities often occur in the social services sector.
Although I am not making any charges against the two sisters, I would like your offices
conduct an investigation to make sure all parties are abiding by the rules and laws,” Holden wrote.

The Department of Human Services and Homeless Services confirmed that Carter and Smith are sisters.

But the spokesman insisted in a statement that there is no nepotism or favoritism, saying homeless administrator Carter is waiving any contracts related to her sister Valerie Smith’s Westhab firm.

“As part of our shared mission to serve and support vulnerable New Yorkers, we greatly appreciate our longstanding partnership with non-profit vendor partner Westhab. We rely on outstanding provider partners like Westhab to provide access to quality care and support for homeless New Yorkers, and through this partnership, we are proud to say that we have been able to help thousands of homeless New Yorkers stabilize their lives and only in last year, more than 800 people received permanent housing,” the report says.

“DSS-DHS maintains a strict policy and enforces all COIBs and their associated rules and regulations, which means that the DHS administrator was not involved in selecting Westhab as a partner in the competitive request for proposals process. Administrator Carter has always declined any questions regarding the organization’s work with DSS-DHS.”

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Carter as Administrator of Homeless Services, a position retained under Mayor’s successor, Eric Adams.

Westhub declined to comment. Smith had no immediate comment.

According to her LinkedIn page, Smith has previously worked on homeless issues at Acacia Network and Covenant House.