‘Deliberate or negligence?’ Monroe County provides update on forensic review of Community Resource Collaborative

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello provided an update on the forensic review concerning the Community Resource Collaborative (CRC)’s handling of funds allocated for the Neighborhood Collaborative Project. The CRC, designated as the fiduciary for the project, was responsible for distributing $7.1 million from the American Rescue Plan Act funds to enhance residents’ quality of life through collaborative health and human services. However, issues arose when CRC admitted to mismanaging the funds, leading to the immediate suspension of additional funding and initiation of a forensic audit by the county. The audit revealed that out of $1,067,971.67 received, CRC correctly distributed $750,514.65 but still owes $243,907.02. The CRC’s practice of merging ARPA grants, other grants, loans, and credit in the same bank accounts has made it challenging to distinguish between negligence, mismanagement, or fraud. The county is now working to identify a new fiscal agent for the NCP, while some non-profits affected by the mismanagement have started taking measures into their own hands to continue their operations.

Source: Rochester First