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Buried in a whistleblower’s 22-page complaint against Sunstone Way are details about bar tabs that could bring scrutiny from one of the nonprofit shelter provider’s largest customers: Multnomah County’s Department of Homeless Services.
Kate Fulton, the former director of finance who says she was terminated for raising questions about Sunstone Way’s accounting, describes two routine credit card alerts she got on Feb. 21, 2025.
The first came at 4:01 pm: $46 from Paddy’s Bar & Grill, a watering hole near Sunstone Way headquarters. The second one, for $211, came at 7:40 pm, she alleges. Both were charges made by Sunstone Way Chief Executive Officer Andy Goebels, according to her complaint, filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Feb. 12, and first reported by WW.
If those tabs included alcohol, and if they weren’t reimbursed later out of personal funds, Sunstone Way ran afoul of Multnomah County contracting rules.
“Alcohol is not an eligible expense for Homeless Services Department funding,” a county spokeswoman said in an email.
Sunstone Way’s employee handbook, obtained by WW, also prohibits charging alcohol to the nonprofit. Drinking or possessing alcohol is prohibited during work hours and on Sunstone Way property, the handbook says, “with the exception of liquor for use at organized after hours work related or social events where intoxicating liquor is provided.” Another exception: “When approved by the executive director, reasonable consumption of alcohol after hours must not result in intoxication.”
Despite those rules, three former Sunstone Way employees, speaking on the condition of anonymity, say the nonprofit has a boozy culture. Those employees say Sunstone Way brass held a weekly “Thirsty Thursday” gathering, first at Crush Bar in Southeast Portland when Sunstone Way was based there, and later at Paddy’s after Sunstone Way moved downtown. Alcohol was often consumed in the office, too, they said.
Sunstone Way spokeswoman Devon Hoyt didn’t return emails seeking comment on the matter.
