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Last week, WW wrote about how residents at the Rockwood Tower, a shelter run by embattled former tech investor Brad Ketch, ate oatmeal for breakfast, Cup Noodle for lunch and TV dinners sold for $1.68 at Walmart for dinner. (“Slipshod Shelter,” WW, Sept. 3). Multnomah County, which funded Rockwood CDC with the supportive housing services tax, severed all ties with the nonprofit in June after the county alleged Ketch had charged the county for empty rooms and double-charged for other services. (Ketch has claimed it was he who severed ties because the county was tardy in paying him.) Former residents of Rockwood say the poor services didn’t end there: with just two dryers, residents would wait hours to get a load in. Here’s what our readers had to say about our most recent story in the Ketch saga:
7 Bad Words via wweek.com: “Don’t hate the player, hate the game… Ketch is deplorable. But he - and many others just like him - exist because Multnomah County and the state of Oregon don’t give a shit about accountability. In fact, they seem determined and proud to do away with any attempts at accountability as some sort of virtuous sign that “being kind” is more useful than being responsible and effective. Ketch definitely has the MO down - snuggle up to key politicians like Merkley, Wyden, Brown, Jones-Dixon - so they can do a little virtue-signaling and celebration when talking to their constituents - then run away with the money knowing you’ll never be held accountable, and could reach out to friends-in-high-places on the off chance someone reveals the grift.”
Alyse via wweek.com: “Are we supposed to feign surprise that a tech exec doesn’t know a damn thing about operating a shelter for homeless persons? Further, are we all just going to avoid the problematic comparison he makes between Rockwood and Calcutta, having the sheer audacity to publish a self-aggrandizing book about it? First off, the city has been known as Kolkata for over 2 decades, thanks to indigenous peoples shirking off the colonial British nomenclature; Mr. Ketch might want to come into the 21st century with his references. Second, the metro area of Kolkata is estimated at over 15 million; even if he overhauled all of Rockwood, it is beyond haughty to link the two. Thirdly, air pollution in the West Bengali region is pervasive; is that an association he wants? Lastly, in the arena he presumably most wants to liken the two - poverty and lack of opportunity - Rockwood is actually far worse off, being one of the poorest regions in the state with the largest concentration of OHP clients per capita. Kolkata, by contrast, is estimated to have a GDP of $150-250 billion dollars. Classic clueless white guy move: insult all parties by being wholly ignorant of the topic on which you speak.”
Joel Derbyshire via Facebook: “kick them out and get someone more appreciative of the free stuff given to them”
Lurky of the Manwolfs via wweek.com: “Start divvying out hundreds of millions taxpayer dollars and opportunists come out of the woodwork.”
Seems2Me via wweek.com: “I think this is more common than we might hope. I visited a neighbor’s child in a family crisis program that contracts with Washington County. It was understaffed. He had been there a week and no actual counseling had taken place. Plus, As I was getting ready to leave, the staff member was getting “lunch”. The food was placed on the table in its original packaging. The kids pointed out that all of the food had passed its expiration date.. Every item.”
Richard Eoff via Facebook: “Ketch sounds like a opportunist. Why are these agencies still doing business with him?”
