This article was edited for clarity and readability, with added details labeled as updates.
Starting in 2020, the Virginia Association of Recovery Residences (VARR) — a small nonprofit composed of Richmond-area sober home owners and operators — was charged with accrediting and overseeing Virginia recovery homes on behalf of the state. After focusing heavily on securing public funding, VARR also became the administrator of millions of dollars intended to support recovery house operators statewide.
In 2020, VARR reported total revenue of just $165,000. By 2021, that figure had skyrocketed to $2.1 million, followed by an estimated $6.6 million in 2022 — almost entirely derived from state and federal funds that flowed through the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS).
Recovery community leaders across Virginia say funding for recovery organizations has been long overdue. But with minimal oversight, much of VARR’s funding has been concentrated in Metro Richmond and quietly directed to entities that benefit VARR leaders — most notably David Rook (then-VARR president), Anthony Grimes (VARR executive director), and Jimmy Christmas (VARR board member).
This installment traces the money under VARR’s control, highlights organizations that were left out of funding opportunities, and examines how key VARR leaders have largely evaded oversight from both DBHDS and the VARR board as a whole.
Documents cited in this article were obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests submitted to DBHDS and to the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office, where a former VARR board member worked and received VARR-related emails.
Imagine the Freedom: ‘The Center’
Just after VARR secured its first round of legislatively directed funding in early 2021, Rook, Grimes and his wife, and Christmas moved to expand their recovery enterprises and bring their headquarters together under one roof.
In April 2021, they purchased 2604 N. Parham Road in Henrico County through Imagine the Freedom Properties, LLC (ITF Properties) — a newly formed company owned by their respective businesses, along with lobbyist David Hallock Jr. and state Del. Lamont Bagby (D-Henrico), a known VARR ally.
Commonly called “The Center,” this building is home to a network of LLCs and nonprofits that serve the business interests of Rook, the Grimeses and Christmas.
Upon establishing their new headquarters, the group immediately began using VARR to apply for taxpayer money to support their business ventures.
In July 2021, they secured $75,715 from DBHDS through VARR to renovate and furnish The Center.
The following month, Rook and the Grimeses formed Imagine the Freedom Recovery Foundation, a nonprofit designed to employ joint staff for their respective for-profit companies — True Recovery RVA and WAR Foundation.
A few weeks later, VARR successfully obtained $270,000 from DBHDS to hire three peer specialists for the new nonprofit and another three for The McShin Foundation, a recovery organization that had two affiliated individuals on the VARR board. VARR did not secure similar funding for any other organizations.1
It’s unclear whether DBHDS officials were aware that three VARR leaders stood to personally benefit from the money VARR acquired. VARR did not disclose those financial interests in its funding applications, and DBHDS did not respond to questions on the matter.
The following year, Will Harris, in DBHDS’s finance department, connected the dots on his own when VARR attempted to pay $6,000 in rent to ITF Properties through Imagine the Freedom Recovery Foundation — on top of the rent DBHDS was already paying to ITF Properties for VARR’s office space.2 That $6,000 rent payment is the only VARR expenditure I’ve identified to date that DBHDS disallowed due to a conflict of interest.
Del. Bagby told me he was unaware that public funds were being used for rent or improvements on the N. Parham Road property. He said he invested in the building to help the recovery community and has “not received one dollar” from it.
Indigent Funding
Between January 2021 and June 2022, VARR distributed roughly $2.84 million to its members for “indigent services” — funds designated to provide recovery housing and support services for people who couldn’t otherwise afford them.
Indigent services fell into three separately funded categories:
- Bed Fees: rent at a recovery house
- 28/30 Day Program Services: vaguely defined as intensive programs including recovery-related activities, support groups, and recovery plans
- Addiction Management: vaguely defined as professional services
Almost all indigent funding has been legislatively directed for VARR “members” — meaning VARR-certified operators. But the money first flows from DBHDS to VARR. From there, it’s entirely up to VARR to inform its members that the funding exists and to distribute it fairly. According to DBHDS Office of Recovery Services Director Mark Blackwell, “DBHDS does not get involved with how VARR allocates funds amongst the certified recovery residences.”
Although VARR is based in the Richmond area, it is a statewide organization charged with expanding access to quality recovery residences throughout Virginia. But with VARR controlling both the sober home accreditation process and the distribution of funds to accredited operators, 98.6 percent of the indigent funding has gone to Metro Richmond organizations.
VARR paid more than $1 million to the for-profit entities that benefited then-VARR President David Rook (True Recovery RVA) and VARR Executive Director Anthony Grimes (WAR Foundation). It also paid $366,275 to Journey House, owned by Michael Tillem — a business partner of Rook and Christmas.3
Eighty percent of the money went to organizations with representation in VARR leadership.
McShin, REAL Life, and Caritas are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. While VARR board members’ affiliations with these nonprofit grant recipients present potential conflicts of interest, I have not found evidence to suggest those board members personally benefited from their leadership positions with VARR. Anyone with information suggesting otherwise is encouraged to contact me.
***
During state fiscal year 2022 (July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022) — the first year for which indigent funding disbursements were broken down by category — there were at least 23 organizations with VARR-certified recovery residences.
Update (Dec. 2023): New information shows there were at least 27 organizations with VARR-certified recovery residences.4
Only 15 of them received indigent bed money from VARR ($1,713,229).
Six received program funding ($798,500).
Six received funding for addiction management ($52,500).5
Indigent bed fees
According to VARR’s fiscal year 2022 agreements with DBHDS, VARR was expected to distribute indigent bed funding based on the percentage of certified beds each organization held out of the VARR total. By design, this system enabled Rook and Grimes to direct large sums of money to the companies that benefited them.
While VARR has been slow to expand its membership, Rook and the Grimeses fast-tracked their own business growth over the last several years, building portfolios that include multiple “step-up” houses — homes for residents with some level of sustained sobriety, employment, and the ability to pay rent. Although step-up homes do not typically accommodate indigent residents, their beds still count toward an operator’s total, inflating the share of indigent funding those organizations received relative to their actual indigent populations.
Built-in advantages aside, it was questionable whether the top-funded operators’ bed counts actually exceeded those of other VARR operators to the extent reflected in the funding distributions.
(Dec. 2023 update: New information confirms the top-funded operators’ bed counts did not exceed those of other VARR operators to the extent reflected in the funding distributions. See a Jan. 2024 update on VARR spending for the breakdown.)
At least 12 VARR operators received no indigent bed funding at all. In some cases, there were reasonable explanations. One excluded operator was a community services board that received separate funding from DBHDS, and another operated a single step-up house where residents were expected to pay rent. Why other operators were excluded or received only minimal funding remains unclear.
After speaking with seven smaller operators, I learned that VARR members have some hoops to jump through before being considered eligible for funding.
VARR recently implemented a program called REC-CAP to collect data on people living in VARR-certified homes. According to several operators, VARR only makes indigent funding available to those who participate in REC-CAP — a program that requires adopting a new case management system and continually providing VARR with data on all residents, not just those receiving financial assistance.6
REC-CAP, however, was not listed as a requirement for indigent bed funding in any agreement VARR had with DBHDS during fiscal year 2022.7 For example, Contract No. 720-4842 states:
Operators who demonstrated REC-CAP participation to VARR’s satisfaction became eligible for a quarterly award. But some said that even after qualifying, they were required to apply for funds on a resident-by-resident basis. Two operators reported submitting reimbursement requests that remained unpaid. Another, frustrated with the process, described it as “a lot of red tape.”
Rook told me he was unaware of any VARR policy requiring operators to apply for indigent bed funds. He explained how True Recovery draws from its award to illustrate how the system supposedly works across the board:
Say [VARR says], ‘True Recovery, you got $40,000 for the quarter. … What happens is we go into a screen. Say we want to put Christa on scholarship. We’ll go in, we’ll type Christa’s name in … we’ll start her date on this [date], and we’ll stop her date on this [date]. Then there’s two switches. So, it’ll be ARPA funds, General Assembly funds or whatever funding stream it is. Then you just click it, and it counts the days, deducts the money.
VARR President Sarah Scarbrough and Executive Director Anthony Grimes did not respond to questions about how the nonprofit awards and administers indigent bed funds. Nor did they explain why only 15 operators received those funds during the year.
It remains unanswered why some VARR operators report obstacles to accessing this money, whereas others, like True Recovery, just click a button.
Meanwhile, smaller operators in both Richmond and underserved parts of the state say they have sometimes had to turn people away for lack of funding.
Kim Adams has experienced this firsthand as operator of Recovering Hands, a nonprofit four-bed recovery program for women in rural Nathalie. Adams said she received a single $500 award from VARR in January 2021 after paying the $500 certification fee. Almost two years later, she had not received another dollar despite repeatedly asking for help.
According to Adams, VARR initially told her she needed to input more client data into the REC-CAP system before she could qualify for funds. But even after doing so for the few clients she had, nothing changed. She is forced to turn women away on a weekly basis for lack of funding, she said. “It just feels criminal that I cannot get help to help the women who desperately want to turn their lives around.”
As a small operator, Adams said she can’t afford delays when requesting assistance from VARR: “When I ask for money, I need it right then, because somebody needs help.”
Grimes made the same argument to DBHDS when he negotiated upfront funding for VARR. In a January 2021 complaint to the agency, the governor’s office, and Del. Bagby, he wrote:
Organizations in VARR can not afford to provide recovery support services (housing) and wait to bill and receive reimbursement over a month later. Receiving funding in this manner would force organizations to have to refuse someone who is indigent entry into a recovery residence because they are awaiting funding for previous indigent residents to be reimbursed and still have to maintain enough revenue to support expenses thus creating a situation that does not promote equitable access for Virginians [seeking] recovery support services.
Leaning on this argument, VARR has continually received upfront funding from DBHDS, ostensibly to ensure equitable access to recovery housing for those who could not otherwise afford it.
Indigent program funding
Out of at least 27 VARR operators, only six received program funding — the same organizations that made the top seven for indigent bed awards, all owned or operated by VARR leaders and their associates.
The seven smaller operators I spoke with had varying perspectives on VARR’s willingness to share indigent bed money, but none of them were aware of the full extent of VARR’s resources. When asked if they knew VARR had funding for program services, the answer, across the board, was no.
Six reported running programs — including groups and activities — that sounded comparable to those offered by True Recovery and WAR Foundation. At minimum, their programs met the vague definitions of “program services” outlined in VARR’s funding agreements with DBHDS as follows.
Sole Source Contract No. 720-4842:
Lichele Billups, operator of A Few Good Roots, said she provides a full schedule of curriculum-based activities for residents at her Highland Springs recovery house. She had no idea VARR had money to support programs like hers.
As a small operator, it’s difficult to compete with the “big names” for funding, she said. “I need VARR because I’m so small.”
I raised the issue with Rook, who was VARR’s president when program fund decisions were made and is also the owner of True Recovery RVA, the organization that received the second-highest award among the six exclusive recipients.
Why did [program funds] only go to six organizations?
From discussions I remember, because they’re the only ones that already previously had or offered or sold programs. I think one of the requirements is that you had to have brick and mortar. You had to have a physical location where different services are offered. So that was the main reason. Those were the only places that were already doing that. So, people could go out and develop and get a place. Starfish is able to tap into that now because they’ve got a location and they offer services there.
How did you guys know then [who had programs]? I talked to seven operators. Six of them said that they have programs, and they didn’t know anything about program funding. Nobody asked them [if they had programs]. They didn’t know how to apply [for program funds].
They don’t have a brick-and-mortar building [separate from the recovery houses]. Or they haven’t ever showed it to VARR, I’d be willing to bet. … Can’t offer it in the house because if you’re offering a program in the house, you’re breaking the rules. You can’t offer services in a recovery home.
You can’t offer services? Not peer groups?
You can [offer] peer groups, but you can’t do other outside services inside a house. But part of that [was] to keep everybody from doing a money grab, I think, from everybody saying, ‘Oh we got a program,’ was saying, look, if they’ve already got an established program or they got something they can show us to lay it out on the table for us.
So, did VARR ever send out an announcement or anything to let an organization make their case for why they have a program?
If they didn’t have a brick-and-mortar building, they probably didn’t get notified. I don’t know.
You see where I’m going with that though, right?
I do, but you see where if we just announced, then everybody’s going to have a fucking program … I think the intent was that people were doing programming and that we wanted to be able to help people get access to those programs. …
[Did] other people actually sell any programs before that? Because you might make the argument that, say that somebody like Roads 2 Recovery has a program. But do they sell a program? Do they ever collect money for a program, or would it just be something that’s a money grab? They’ll get a couple thousand dollars for something they already do.
Do you not think it’s a conflict that the people who are deciding where the money goes are the same ones saying, ‘We have programs, but nobody else does?’
You can spin it into a conflict. You can make the perception.
You don’t think it is?
No, because I think we know better than anybody who actually has programs. …
Do I think that they should have access to it if they have a program? Yes, they probably should. Is it something as simple as them reaching out to the VARR office and saying, ‘We have a program,’ and establishing that with VARR? Probably.
But if they don’t even know that VARR has funding for that, why would they reach out and say, ‘Hey, we have a program?’
I’m not sure why they wouldn’t know that. If they join the monthly calls for VARR, maybe they would know. Maybe if they participated. I don’t know, and I don’t know that that’s a sufficient answer. I just don’t know. I think that it would be the responsibility to get that out there. And again, I would say this money didn’t exist 2 years ago. A lot of what’s being done is being done for the first time. Do I think that there’s anything shady going on? Absolutely not. Anybody being left out intentionally? No. Anybody giving extra money to their buddies? No.
I reached out to the other five operators who received exclusive shares of program funds. John Shinholser, president and co-founder of The McShin Foundation, was the only one to comment.
Shinholser made no apologies for the amount of money McShin received from VARR, noting that he spent 18 years advocating for indigent bed funds at the General Assembly. As the only Virginia organization accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Peer Recovery Support Services (CAPRSS), he said McShin provides the highest quality services for the money it receives. At the same time, he called it “disgraceful” and “unethical” that other operators were not given the opportunity to apply for program funding.
The VARR website has a page dedicated to membership benefits, but “access to government funding” is not listed.
‘Every piece of dollar goes to serve a person’
At the October 2022 NARR Best Practices Summit, Grimes presented on a panel titled, “VARR How We Did It (Part 2).” He stated:
Money doesn’t come to VARR for the organizations. Money comes to VARR to allot to the organizations to serve people. Every piece of dollar goes to serve a person, not an organization.
But VARR designed its indigent reimbursement model to yield generous profit margins.
The standard daily rate for bed fees in a recovery house is $20. VARR reimburses at $30 or $40, depending on the funding source. According to VARR board meeting minutes from March 2022, the average number of residents in a VARR-certified house is 11.2. Assuming bed fees are not applied to the house manager, a $40 daily rate would allow an operator to gross $12,240 in bed fees alone for one month at a single house – a figure far higher than the cost of rent and utilities at any recovery residence.
According to Rook, VARR set the $40 rate to cover processing fees and additional resident needs such as bed sheets, food, and occasional transportation. But he said he didn’t know whether VARR required operators to provide any of those items. Richmond operators commonly charge upwards of $4,000 per month to cover food and transportation in addition to the bed fee.
Also, during fiscal year 2022, the four least-funded operators were excluded from the $40 rate entirely.
VARR reimbursed 28/30-Day Program Services — covering bed fees, food, transportation to select activities, and day programs — at $3,500 or $4,500, depending on the funding source. That’s 213% and 274% of VARR’s cost estimate. For Rook and Grimes, the margins could be even higher, since they run their day programs through Imagine the Freedom Recovery Foundation, the nonprofit already funded by DBHDS.
(Additional examples of VARR funding that flowed to True Recovery and WAR Foundation are available here.)
Records suggest federal grant violations
Using federal funds to replace existing expenses, or “supplanting,” is strictly prohibited per federal guidelines outlined in VARR’s funding agreement with DBHDS.8
But VARR expenditure records show True Recovery and WAR Foundation have been doing just that — using federal dollars to offset existing business expenses, allowing them to increase profits rather than expand services for their residents.
Starting in April 2022, VARR received $840,000 to create peer support positions “across all VARR certified recovery residence organizations.” The budget allocated full-time and part-time employees across 17 organizations, which included two full-time employees for WAR Foundation and four for True Recovery — including two at True Recovery’s Eco Flats division. According to VARR’s proposal, the funding would create new staff positions to help the “growing number of individuals with significant barriers to recovery…”
Payroll records for the first quarter, however, show True Recovery used its share to pay for staff it already employed. WAR Foundation did the same for at least one position.
Capacity-expansion funds
For fiscal year 2022, VARR received $1.012 million “to expand recovery support services across the Commonwealth focusing on areas with limited housing and recovery supports proportionate to the substance use disorder population.”
The award was budgeted as follows:
VARR invested $283,824 in one rural project in Russell County and awarded the remaining reported amount of $509,840 to Metro Richmond operators directly or indirectly benefiting VARR leaders.9
Peter’s Place RVA: $140,000
Owned by then-VARR board member Shauntelle Hammonds, Peter’s Place operates a single recovery house that was previously run by True Recovery. VARR payments to Peter’s Place started shortly before True Recovery became the legal owner of the property in January 2022. Below is the only information VARR reported to DBHDS on how that money was used.
Although True Recovery owns the home and collects rent from Peter’s Place, Rook said True Recovery did not benefit from VARR’s award. “We killed a house and profit to help provide Peter’s Place,” he said.
Hammonds declined to be interviewed and did not respond to a request for comment.
According to a VARR presentation to the board in May 2022, the organization planned to award Peter’s Place an additional $120,000 for fiscal year 2023.
Urban Recovery RVA: $96,330 — Owned by VARR board member Jimmy Christmas
Christmas has operated a lucrative network of clinical practices for many years. Now, with state dollars designated to give minorities equitable access to the recovery housing industry, he added two recovery homes to his portfolio — at no personal cost.
Supreme Re-Entry Programming and Community Transitional Services: $55,400
According to its website, Supreme Re-Entry sends participants to River City Comprehensive Counseling Services, a company owned by Christmas.
Starfish Recovery & Wellness: $63,000
Starfish is owned by Frank and Stephanie Bellanger. In late 2020, before receiving VARR funding, Frank raised concerns with DBHDS about VARR leadership:
After Starfish received $63,000 for staffing expansion — on top of exclusive program funding starting mid-2021 — Frank changed his tune, becoming a vocal VARR supporter.
In a recent interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Frank said VARR “has done a phenomenal job with the distribution and accounting of government funding” and “a fantastic job through the executive director, Anthony Grimes, with the accounting, oversight and just providing a high-quality standard for our residents and clients …”
As of January 2022, Starfish also sends residents to River City Comprehensive Counseling Services, owned by Christmas.
VARR’s May 2022 presentation indicated it would award Starfish an additional $105,000 for fiscal year 2023 to cover the staffing funded in year one and to add a peer recovery specialist.
Frank did not agree to be interviewed or respond to a request for comment.
Lotus Recovery RVA: $155,110 awarded to the brother of state Del. Lamont Bagby
(Screenshot sourced from VA General Assembly)
As chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, Del. Lamont Bagby (D-Henrico) is a powerful political figure.
When I spoke with him in September and December 2022, he described his relationship with VARR as that of a detached supporter. “I support their work,” he said, “but when you start asking me the detailed questions about how they accomplish what they do, I have no clue.”
Bagby was not listed as a patron on any VARR-related bills or budget amendments, but several sources and records suggest he’s been a key legislative ally.
In December 2020, Anthony Grimes told DBHDS that Bagby had played a significant role in helping VARR secure a $500,000 budget amendment from the General Assembly:
A couple weeks later, VARR’s then-vice president (and current president), Sarah Scarbrough, wrote the following about Bagby in an email to then-Secretary of Public Safety Brian Moran.
On Jan. 6, 2021, Grimes emailed a complaint to the governor’s office and copied Bagby, reiterating his earlier complaints and emphasizing Bagby’s support of VARR.
When asked about the emails, Bagby told me he “support[s] the recovery community getting resources from the state to help folks.” He added: “It wasn’t my budget amendment. … You’re going to have to ask [Grimes] what he was trying to accomplish with that [email].”
At the 2021 NARR Summit, Bagby and David Rook hosted a Q&A session titled, “Building Relationships between Recovery Home Operators & Legislators.”
Bagby was also scheduled to speak at the 2022 NARR Summit in a session called “VARR How We Did It (Part 2)”:
After speaking with me, Bagby did not attend the session as planned.
For fiscal year 2022, VARR awarded $155,110 to Bagby’s brother, Isiah (“Zekie”) Bagby, to open Lotus Recovery RVA, a sober home near Downtown Richmond.
Below is the only information VARR reported to DBHDS on how the money was spent.
As of June 2022, Isiah was reportedly living at the Lotus Recovery house and driving a recently purchased Jaguar. Before moving into the Lotus house, he had been a resident of True Recovery.
VARR’s May 2022 presentation indicated Lotus Recovery will receive another $70,202 in fiscal year 2023 to cover six months of costs for Isiah’s second year in business.
Del. Bagby told me he didn’t know VARR had provided funding to his brother, and Isiah did not respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, organizations across Virginia were unable to open recovery homes or had to close existing homes due to lack of funding. Most of the seven small operators I spoke with indicated a general shortage of resources within their organizations or geographic areas. Six said they didn’t know VARR had capacity-expansion funding designated to help fill the resource gaps they described. The one who did know said she was unable to access the money.
In 2021, Kim Adams tried to open a men’s sober home in South Boston. According to Adams, VARR told her she needed to rent a house to qualify for funding. Unable to find a suitable rental, she purchased a home through an LLC. VARR then informed her that owning the property made her ineligible for funding, she said.
That barrier, however, did not appear to apply to VARR board member Jimmy Christmas. In January 2022, Christmas purchased 1708 Doron Lane through his company, Urban Recovery RVA LLC. After VARR awarded the company $96,330 to open two recovery homes, the VARR website listed “Doron” as one of them:
(Update: After this installment was first published, 1708 Doron Lane was confirmed as one of Urban Recovery’s two sober homes.)
Despite receiving no financial assistance from VARR, Adams planned to move forward. But one week before opening the men’s house, South Boston officials “decided they did not want a recovery house” in the town and stopped her from opening, she said. When she reached out to VARR for help, Anthony Grimes told her in an email that a town cannot ban such homes and suggested a joint phone call with town officials, according to the email she read to me over the phone. That call never happened, and Adams eventually “ran out of steam and finances” and sold the house. “I needed some clout behind me to fight,” she said. But VARR did “nothing” to help her.
Others shared similar frustrations. In June 2022, Regina Baker shut down her only VARR-certified women’s house in Glen Allen due to lack of resources. “I told [Grimes] that I was really going through a lot keeping the house,” she told me. “I had no idea [VARR] could have helped me.”
“It’s not right,” Baker said, that small operators like herself are often left out of funding opportunities.
Through an unrelated FOIA request to DBHDS, I came across two rural Virginians seeking funding to start recovery homes who were referred to Grimes for help.
In a November 2021 email to DBHDS, Westmoreland County Commonwealth’s Attorney Julia Sichol wrote:
I am researching the feasibility of starting a recovery house that would serve the Northern Neck. One of our greatest problems, especially in rural areas, is a lack of resources. … I was wondering if you had a list of criterion that is required in order to become certified, any information on how to start a recovery home and/or if you are aware of any funding opportunities that would assist in its development.
DBHDS forwarded her inquiry to Grimes the following day.
When I reached out to Sichol, she located Grimes’ response and read it aloud. He offered general information about VARR certification and a meeting to discuss her goals, but made no mention of available funding. Sichol didn’t reply to that email but said, “I definitely would have if he told me there was some money.”
Sichol was never able to open a recovery house in her county. She said funding wasn’t the only barrier — but it was the one that stopped her from moving forward.
A couple months later, Crossroads Community Services Board in Farmville also sought funding to open a recovery residence. DBHDS referred the agency to Grimes and Mark Blackwell, director of the DBHDS Office of Recovery Services. Crossroads got a meeting with them, but no money. Emails also suggest the agency was never informed about VARR’s capacity-expansion dollars. I was unable to reach a Crossroads representative for comment.
VARR finances: Who decides?
In theory, a nonprofit’s board of directors safeguards the organization’s assets and ensures resources are used in alignment with its mission. In practice, all signs suggest that most of VARR’s board — including its treasurer — has not been empowered to serve that role.
One board member, who requested anonymity, told me most directors have been excluded from big financial decisions. “The VARR office (meaning Anthony Grimes) has the say as to where the money is going,” the member said, adding that the board had “no idea” which organizations received fiscal year 2022 capacity-expansion funds — a roughly $1 million annual budget — until the funding cycle was nearly over. Rook did not confirm or deny this but said future awards will be vetted by the board.
Until January 2021, VARR’s treasurer was Bob de Triquet, a VARR employee who reported directly to Grimes. When his term ended, Rook successfully nominated April Hutchison, an employee of the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office, to replace him. Rook already had experience working with Hutchison, who had approved hundreds of invoices that True Recovery submitted to the Sheriff’s Office in previous years.
From the Jan. 26, 2021 VARR board meeting minutes:
Emails obtained from Chesterfield County show that Hutchison’s role in VARR finances was limited to reporting the minimal information Grimes chose to share with her before board meetings. The treasurer’s reports consistently included little more than VARR’s bank balance, as in the March 23, 2021, meeting below:
Nearly a year into her tenure as treasurer, Hutchison wrote to then-VARR Secretary Lynn Taylor that VARR did not provide her with financial details — “just the total.”
Hutchison did not respond to a request for comment.
State oversight in question
DBHDS’ internal emails reveal long-running friction between the agency and VARR over procurement procedures and fiscal oversight — amplified by VARR leaders’ tendency to escalate demands to their allies in public office.
For reasons that remain unclear, VARR has largely evaded the level of accountability that seems to govern other funding recipients — despite DBHDS staff identifying red flags since at least late 2020.
Through late 2022, Will Harris, then serving as a DBHDS subrecipient contracts specialist, oversaw the highest volume of VARR funding. Emails show he was among those advocating for transparency and accountability in public spending. But in a May 6, 2022 internal email, Harris wrote that VARR had been the exception to the agency’s process:
…as far as non-CSB subrecipients are concerned: VARR is and has been the exception to our process, and frankly, to both agency and federal policies regarding Subrecipient monitoring. …
I’m confident in the working relationships that we have formed with a large majority of our Subrecipients, and generally applaud their openness in disclosing how the funds are being spent while adhering to federal regulation.
VARR appears to have taken a markedly different approach than the “large majority” of DBHDS subrecipients.
On April 28, 2022 — 14 days past the deadline10 — Grimes submitted a routine expense report and invoice. DBHDS then scheduled a meeting with him to establish more detailed reporting requirements. In response, Grimes sent a request for “urgent assistance” to DBHDS Chief Administrative Officer Cort Kirkley.
While some of his complaints about communication breakdowns may have been valid, Grimes also alleged that VARR was being “unjustly targeted,” that the finance department was “going beyond their scope,” and that the funding had been entrusted to VARR by lawmakers, “not DBHDS.”
The following day, DBHDS postponed its meeting with Grimes due to a scheduling conflict. Despite submitting VARR’s invoice 14 days late, Grimes insisted there was a “dire sense of urgency” to receive payment. He asked DBHDS to notify him by the end of the morning if funds would be “released immediately” to VARR.
That afternoon, despite sitting on a cash balance of $456,320 from this funding source alone, VARR President Sarah Scarbrough enlisted the help of VARR’s contacts in the governor’s office.
Under pressure to expedite the process, DBHDS Recovery Services Coordinator Kristine Konen emailed Grimes a short list of updated reporting requirements instead of holding an in-person meeting. Grimes replied that providing the requested information “would require a software rewrite and would take an estimated 90 days with a cost of $40,000 dollars.” He added: “Please advise if DBHDS is interested in funding these revisions to the platform…”
DBHDS paid VARR’s invoice and did not enforce submission of the requested information.
(The full compilation of emails documenting VARR-DBHDS conflicts through May 2022 is available here.)
In response to my request for comment on the contents in this article, Anthony Grimes wrote, “There are a number of the above statements that are inaccurate and or lack context.”
Scarbrough, Christmas, Kate Grimes, Michael Tillem, and Frank Bellanger did not agree to be interviewed or respond to requests for comment.
DBHDS did not agree to be interviewed and did not respond to questions.
The rapid accumulation of money and power by a small group of operators has not only limited recovery support services elsewhere in the state, it has also created challenges for some of those operators, whose personal recovery appears to have taken a back seat to amassing influence and wealth.
The next section will cover drug use among Richmond recovery leaders, related ethical violations, and mutual insulation from scrutiny.
To share your experience with recovery housing, please reach out to me here.
Corrections
1. An earlier version incorrectly described a recent former DBHDS employee as a current employee.
2. An earlier version incorrectly stated that DBHDS did not have bed counts of VARR-certified operators after November 2020. While those records were not produced in response to my related requests, I later discovered records containing the bed counts while reviewing DBHDS emails.
<Previous
Scroll below to view investigative stories in The Parham Papers series, or visit the homepage to explore all articles, including legislative updates.
1. Funding for peer recovery specialists that began in October 2021 was exclusive to Imagine the Freedom and McShin. Six months later, VARR obtained funding for peer recovery specialists across “all” VARR-certified organizations. However, this did not balance the distribution of funds: True Recovery, WAR Foundation and McShin were included in the new allocation and received the maximum number of employees per organization, while continuing to employ the peer specialists funded in the first round. By October 2022, McShin’s funding for three peer specialists had expired. Imagine the Freedom, through VARR, obtained renewed funding for two full-time peer specialists, giving True Recovery and WAR Foundation an ongoing staffing advantage. [Return to article]
2. A subsequent internal email from Will Harris suggested he was not aware of Rook’s and Grimes’ financial interest in the funding application for peer specialists at Imagine the Freedom Recovery Foundation. Harris wrote: “The funding that they are currently seeking is for staffing at 3 Recovery Community Organizations which may or may not be subsidiary entities of VARR, but are planned to operate out of the Henrico facility that VARR has acquired (in part with FY21 SOR funds).” [Return to article]
3. Michael Tillem co-owns River City Residential Services with Jimmy Christmas and David Rook. It is unknown whether Dr. Peter Breslin also has ownership in the company. [Return to article]
4. Documents VARR provided to DBHDS on 7/12/21, 10/5/21, 11/1/21, 2/3/22 and 5/10/22 reflected 27 VARR-certified operators. This data will be included with the next update on VARR spending. [Return to article]
5. According to David Rook, the VARR office sent an email announcement to all VARR-certified operators with information on how to apply for addiction management funds. [Return to article]
6. Rook said that VARR collects identifying information only on the clients who receive indigent funds and that data on all other clients is collected in raw form. [Return to article]
7. After fiscal year 2022, a contract modification dated Sept. 14, 2022, states: “VARR accredited residence must be in compliance with utilizing the Advanced Recovery Management System (ARMS) which contains the REC-CAP module in order to be eligible to receive funding.” This language was not included in any prior contracts for fiscal year 2022 (7/1/21 – 6/30/22), and the new contract does not clarify what it means to be “in compliance.” [Return to article]
8. Per Section VII, General Grant Terms: “Federal award funds must supplement, not replace (supplant) nonfederal funds.” Section II defines “supplant” as “to replace funding of a recipient’s existing program with funds from a federal grant.” [Return to article]
9. For fiscal year 2022 (7/1/21 – 6/30/22), VARR reported capacity-expansion program expenditures of $793,663 out of the $1.012 million budget. DBHDS allowed VARR to carry the unspent balance of $218,336 into the next period. (The total remaining balance of $336,203 referenced in the email includes unspent funds from other categories under this SFA.) I have not obtained expenditure records beyond June 30, 2022. [Return to article]
10. VARR’s Subrecipient Funding Agreement stipulates: “Within 10 business days of the start of each period, VARR will submit an invoice based on estimated cash disbursements required for the designated period.” The April 1 start date meant the invoice was due April 14. VARR submitted it on April 28. [Return to article]
You are only scratching the surface. The corruption goes much deeper. Keep digging, you are spot on so far. More will be revealed.
Taking too long … getting bored and becoming uninterested
Really? Then she should shut down the whole thing. I’m sure your interest is her top priority.
Or if she was really interested in helping/doing the right thing or had any actual evidence she could just post the whole thing. The person writing this doesn’t care anymore about the addicts being hurt than the people she’s claiming to expose.
I believe the “actual evidence” was in the screen shots and the direct quotes from David Rook himself. She also included links to legislation and to the NARR policies and procedures that VARR/true recovery/everyone in that building are violating. ALSO, this is literally only the first installment of this series. Everyone in the recovery community here knows everybody else’s business. We all know what [name redacted] has been doing with the women BONDED to his program for years… the evidence? How about his son with [name redacted]? The sexual exploitation, the shady real estate purchases, the favors (sexual and otherwise) for free rent etc.. EVERYONE KNOWS. Thank God it’s finally being exposed to the larger community. These people have been getting away with this shit for so long I know they think nothing will actually happen as a result of this all coming out… I promise you they have another thing coming.
The screenshots are not actual evidence of anything illegal. A baby is potentially evidence of something morally wrong but again, not illegal unless she was under age. A lot of people make a lot of assumptions and accusations, but no one ever provides proof which is why nothing ever goes any further than random blogs and posts on social media. As far as I am aware, every recovery organization has specific providers they refer out to for services and always have. There is never any actual evidence of illegal wrong doing. I could post links to a lot of laws … but it’s pretty useless without evidence of someone breaking said laws. If there’s evidence why didn’t this person go to law enforcement? What shady real estate deals? Didn’t even see that or anything about sexual exploitation in this blog.
You seem to know more than the author of this blog. Since you do have so much information, what is the ultimate goal of this blog? What’s the purpose behind “exposing” any of this and what are they even exposing if according to you, EVERYONE already knows? Is there an end game that actually involves helping anyone? Why drag it out if the goal is to help people?
Like I already said… this is literally just the first installment, ONE of ten. It’s illegal to sleep with someone whom is a participant in your program through an extension of the incarceration system and is under your supervision. This is covered under the prison rape act. I could also link that law.
I would love the link showing it’s a PREA violation. Shocking that law enforcement hasn’t gotten involved and the court keeps sending people if that’s accurate.
The point is we have no way of knowing the motive behind this blog or what the end game is. The author hasn’t mentioned it. And she’s apparently just interested in dragging everything out for some reason. Seems no one has pure motives.
Hi friend! You can read all about PREA at vadoc.Virginia.gov I am unable to post on this blog a screenshot highlighting where the law clearly states that this law extends to all facets of the incarceration system but here is a quote: “The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) is a federal law intended to prevent, detect, and address sexual abuse of inmates and probationers. It applies to all levels of adult prisons and jails, juvenile confinement facilities, lockups, and community confinement facilities. Learn more about our zero-tolerance policy regarding PREA in Operating Procedure 038.3.” Community confinement facilities would include a community based program that an individual is bonded to as an extension of or in addition to their incarceration term. A person whom is under state supervision cannot give full consent to their probationer and engaging in sexual acts with someone who is unable to give consent is called rape. Period. That being said, even if this blogs whole purpose is to expose just immorality and not illegality it helps people by providing information to patients that enables them to make more informed decisions regarding choices in their place of care.
Super shocking.. it’s almost like *gasp* there has been little to no oversight on these completely unregulated programs and the government and law enforcement don’t actually care about addicts!
The definitions listed for PREA do not seem to include persons on bond or recovery house operators. Maybe I missed it. If there is sexual misconduct happening hopefully someone stands up and does the right thing for victims. Again, no one has provided evidence of anything illegal. But right … maybe it’s coming eventually in one of these parts. Maybe by the summer the author will be ready or next year. Who knows.
And it’s not shocking at all really – the government or law enforcement has never cared about addicts. Which brings the question … what is the purpose all this? To get the government involved? To lose beds for addicts suffering when we already don’t have enough? Does the author have any actual solutions or plans to get involved and help? Do any of these critics on here plan on getting involved and opening houses or helping?
I guess you’re not familiar with sarcasm.
PREA clearly outlines the fact that it covers all facility workers, contractors, volunteers, probationers, and ANYONE whom is under state supervision. It’s kinda crazy how you’re literally trying to defend rape as defined by the law but questioning this author’s motivations.. maybe you need to be checking your own.
And what makes you think none of this is being sent to law enforcement?
Responsible journalism takes time. I’m sorry you’re used to people posting stuff with little consideration of accuracy. The writer is getting responses from the involved parties. She is editing, rewriting and editing again. Perhaps you would just throw everything up on Facebook, but she’s a bit more deliberative.
The editing and writing are not great so if that’s sad if it’s what’s taking so long. And I would hardly call this responsible journalism.
Where did you attend journalism school?
I’ve been around Richmond recovery for about 3 years now volunteered my services as a recovering addict and had to remove myself from service in the downtown area Recovery House systems due to internal feelings of resentment based on acknowledge that I was gaining of how these operations were definitely funding before recovery based. I saw people who were stressed constantly by rules and Financial requirements and under the constant threat of dismissal and or return to jail. I must say at the same time it is a struggle the way these operations are run with less than proper qualified management at the residential level putting clients with three or four months of clean time in charge of houses being called House managers and not having to pay rent in exchange for that service. The added stress of recovery and trying to hold other clients accountable while answering to the management of the organizations at times led to overdose deaths within the houses as well as entire houses at times relapsing only to be reintroduced into an intensive system which cost anywhere from 5 to 10 thousand dollars which is either paid for by insurance companies, family funding or paid for by grants which are taxpayer funded basically. That became growingly aware that ethics were not applied properly some clients were treating preferentially based on their willingness to donate more of their time and so-called volunteer to do things for management at their personal homes or businesses in exchange for staying in the click. We have a crisis on our hands and there are some very wealthy people at the heads of these organizations who do not put principles before personalities which is a strict tradition in the Narcotics Anonymous program. Narcotics Anonymous saved my life and I have given of myself freely what was given to me for nearly 9 years now. I no longer do anything in Richmond based on building resentments and knowledge of what I believe is ethically, immorally based business practices. I do understand that there is a need for the financial support for all levels of these businesses but when Real Estate is bought through these businesses and I mean a lot of it! Huge damn money that I’m sure comes under non-profit Holdings therefore probably untaxed or reduced tax and they become assets while these businesses answer to their board of directors who also profit from said business practices. Travels going to spend a whole lot of by upper echelon that include expense accounts that cover a lot of things that are not business as usual with corporations and such playing golf dining out enjoying things that any human being should be able to enjoy but at who’s expense? My feeling is recovery is suffering because of greed and I don’t believe that there is a single organization that I have come in contact with in Richmond other than The Healing Place in South Richmond that has a recovery first based operation. I am truly saddened by this and it really weighed upon me heavily thus removing myself for my own recovery purposes. I attend meetings outside the city I have started my own NA meeting the first in my County in the farm belt north of the city where recovery is minimal at best because all the money goes to the cities and Richmond is rampant with the disease of greed rather than the desire to provide recovery first! Please follow up and dig deeper, and unbiased reflection of all real estate based recovery businesses in richmond. Please explore and Report on what I believe is the positive message of recovery that comes from The Healing Place Recovery Center in South Richmond because some positive needs to come out of this as it is so rampant was improprieties and negativity that it taints the minds of those seeking recovery!
Do you care to share the name of the place you are referring to? (Or places if you were referring to more than one)
Thank you.
I have several questions for you, Christy:
1) How much experience do you have with folks who are new in recovery? You say that those in jail will say anything to get out of jail. That will include agreeing to work a program and then not wanting to follow through.
2) You are not showing the other side–how many people have these recovery houses had to use Narcan to bring back to life because they have secretly gone out and found drugs, brought them back into the recovery house–still in secret, and would have died had they not been there where someone was paying attention.
3) What do you know about what it takes to give help to someone who is in the grip of addiction? It requires a hard boundary and requirements where there is a clear line that they cannot cross. Those who are working on the front lines know that a hard boundary is necessary.
I think the entire point is the corruption of the people involve and the system. Forcing someone to fit into a recovery program or getting kick backs for sending them to a certain program discounts/discredits the good works done, but that is just one interested observer’s opinion
I think her name is Christa. Not Christy.
Anyways.
I do remember reading this part that she wrote—-“ The individuals addressed in this report (below) have undoubtedly helped many people over the years.”
Also, having hard boundaries isn’t the same thing as forcing vulnerable, uniformed, fragile people to do IOP so they get a shit ton of cash in return.
This is a lot of allegations of misuse. I don’t have any reason to hide or make anonymous comments as many of you little cowardly keyboard warriors. Tied to Peters Place? Yep assisted them in getting an LGBTQIA specific house opened. Because the community needed one. Tied to Isaiah Bagby? Nope, he worked for me for more than a year. He built a relationship with the VARR office. He noticed not many folks of color owning houses and wanted to be a part of change. I hear you though!! BLACK man buys a 10 year old Jag he must of stole the money…typical racist shit.
VARR did undergo an audit by a credible auditor ..Christa knows it has copies of it but too busy spinning her own narrative. Federal Yellowbook Audit. Who knows and has seen all off this..info and more. he made comments like I’ve never seen a first time group get audited and have such well kept records and expense. The audit was recognized by federal HHS secretary. It’s funny Eco keeps getting brought up with TRRVA. Neither owner of True Recovery takes any dividend check from Eco. Eco was crumbling with broken washers microwaves holes in floors, burned out windows when we took it over from previous operator. It’s a 20k a month lease and thousands of dollars in upkeep. 20k in just washers and dryers in 18 months. We have a new deal with new owners for windows replacement and HVAC upgrades along with replacing all water heaters. We inherited a 11k water bill when we took it over as well.
What I see is a refusal to even look at McShin. In this blog there’s a screenshot of an email that appears was shared with Christa by Jesse Wysocki, We have Carl Mcdade admitting to having Christa at her house. We have John who for six months has shared with Christa in real time info back and forth.. admittedly. John’s COMMENTS IT’S SICKENING AND DISGUSTING people were left out is laughable. John made every effort possible to trap all of these funds just to Mcshin…
I never slept with a participant at McShin, I was not fired from McShin, I did not give any participant detox meds that belonged to someone else. Every effort I’ve made is to improve the community, its resources, its reach, and its outcomes. I have made a ton of partnerships in this community because we can do more together than we can in silos. This will be my only comment here. Keep it coming Christa you are doing so much good for the community so many will live and prosper from this work
David just stop.
Stop lying. Stop deflecting. Stop talking about fucking hvac units at eco flats.
John didn’t do any of this to you. No one did any of this to you. You did this to yourself.
I mean this with all sincerity… just take care of yourself and your sobriety right now.
Also, what is all of this we stuff.
“We” didn’t think you had anything to do with TRRVA anymore…?
Hey Chill, I don’t think anything has been done to me. Point out one lie in my comments back with some evidence. Who said I have anything to do with TRRVA at the moment?Better yet who said I didn’t? What’s deflecting ? Just adding general information about Eco because above in a graph or lumps the two together. I made no comments about John doing anything to me? This certainly isn’t about me as much as most of you would love to make it that way. I believe its about Christa, as Carol stated to the board she has an axe to grind with the state according to her ,Christa tried something similar in a DOC job, and was subsequently fired, honestly I dont know. Separate Eco and TRRVA in that graph above and you will see the single largest recipient of funds is not TRRVA nor Eco. We didn’t go and create a program at Eco and try to grab money for programs there. I mean if we were looking for a money grab well there is obvious one not taken…wonder why? Because Eco doesn’t sell programs.
There is so much contextual information missing from this stuff its pitiful. Anyone that’s ever had any questions that walked into that VARR office got answers. So to take the time and explain it to Christa or you apparently is a waste of time you have developed your truth. Like the Helping Hands project that is referenced that was not a part of expansion money used in other places it was money from another source at another time and it wasn’t VARR that shut that down it was the state and they made it painfully clear they were not okay with the way it was going. Helping Hands didn’t come to VARR. McShin who was overseeing that area of growth project approached her. Everyone wanted that to work. None of you have any clue how much time we have spent talking to municipalities Roanoke, VA Beach, Pulaski, Orange county just to name a few on behalf of folks operating in those areas or trying to open.
I am certainly focused on me and tonight is the first time I’ve engaged or visited in a couple weeks and only because others text the links to me. Many folks seem to think they know or have information on my recovery…I can assure you chill whatever it is you believe you know…well you haven’t spoken to me about it
I’ve been in and out of recovery for years around Richmond and this article is spot on… Especially the part where if you don’t conform to their every wish they will just throw you out. There isn’t a rco out there that isn’t pocketing money and especially [organization’s name redacted]. I feel like if you were to dig into them you would find a lot of info every one of these places started from them and I’m sure [name redacted] sees a pretty penny… I remember going through the program and being made to get Medicaid then being made to go to therapy at river city and that’s another thing every single one of these places uses river city smh I remember one time someone had just started a job and their job worked with them with her schedule but the organization was not willing to work with her told her if she wasn’t at this mandatory meeting for the one hour she would be kicked out of the program so she had to quit her job…. Every single one of these places puts profit over each person that comes looking for help and they make it no secret you are just basically another number cause they can always fill your bed..
Straight to jail.. right away
You’re driving too fast, jail. Slow, jail. You’re charging too high prices for recovery programs and giving all your friends government funding. Straight to jail. Right away.
Anthony Grimes is not equipped to handle the money or the job duties he has been put in charge of. That has become BLATANTLY obvious. Calling on NARR and other advocates to step up and make necessary changes. This cannot continue. This is a joke.
how is he not equipped when he just passed an audit with flying colors? let me guess you’re the next Einstein?
Haha, yeah an audit by who…
Let’s get a real audit.
“As long as a journalist tells the truth, in conscience and fairness, it is not his job to worry about consequences. The truth is never as dangerous as a lie in the long run. I truly believe the truth sets men free.”
oh WOW Christa, your an auditor now! i believe VARR just had one done by a real one.
A real audit was done? Did Anthony Grimes succeed in bullying DBHDS out of another $40k to get that done? Since per his email that was the ONLY way VARR could provide DBHDS with the requested financials?
I didn’t know it was possible to bully the DBHDS. you must be something like a god if you can do that
Anthony Grimes – CPRS.
No one: sure let’s give this man millions of dollars even though he has no formal or clear training/education in large money management and shall I say… ethics.
-Bellanger got his hush money. $63,000
-Jimmy Christmas gets another $96,000 for 2 houses………
-Zeke Bagby: Brother of Lamont Bagby and friend of David Rook gets $155,000
-Peters Place connected to David Rook gets $140,000
Rest of the state: $ basically nothing
I’m confuse on how you’re so educated on all this. Do you have an inside source that tells you exactly everything I believe your just miserable in your own life and are desperate to be apart of some more worthless activity
I’m pretty sure it says that she obtained all of this information through FOIA.
Did you miss that part?
Its funny how you keep bringing up Supplanting funds when [organization name redacted] has been doing this for years! Just look at there jail SAMSA grant and the percentage of time there staff was supposed to be spending on that project
Why havent you looked into [name redacted] spending 40k plus on food expenses? Great way to spend donors money
I’m not reading all that. Sorry that happened to you or congratulations.
You’re my friend… you get money
You’re my friend.. you get money
You’re not my friend… you no get money
Unbelievable! Can’t wait to hear about the kings of VAAR drug use. I know 2 for sure. Is there more? We shall see! You can’t hide anymore. Rut roe!
did you forget that they are all in recovery? that’s whats so pathetic about most of the people posting on here it doesn’t matter your job or status in the world if you’re an addict you always have the possibility of using. Instead of supporting people that fall people want to beat them down. Christa is doing absolutely doing nothing but trying to make a name for herself using addicts that are in active addiction and trying to make a dollar. what has she done to try and improve any of this?
Christa is helping people suffering with SUD by providing transparency and enabling patients to make more informed decisions about their choices in place of care. She is also helping the larger community by showing how our tax dollars have been mishandled, it’s our money and we have a right to know. Telling the truth can be hard, thank you Christa for doing the right thing.
You’re clearly uneducated! How much does it cost to keep someone in jail? How much does it cost tax payers per hospital visit? How long is the wait list for treatment centers?
Money? Are there ads on this site? What’s the revenue stream? Please show me how this blog is making money for Christa.
Yes they are all in recovery but you can’t smoke crack with hookers in hotels and tell the new comer how to get clean. This girl is not getting rich off of this. She is just putting the facts in writing so people can see what is really happening. Stop shooting the messenger. This is so sad . All this money meant to help the sick and suffering being used by these low life’s. They all belong in jail. If not the system in completely broken.
That’s what guilty people do. Point fingers and blame others.
Oh hey what about this.
Oh hey why aren’t you talking about that.
They won’t own their shit.
But the Facts matter. Facts are going to matter to the state and to Medicaid and NARR and everyone else that’s going to see this shit.
Let these “keyboard warriors” keep on blabbing away because it doesn’t really matter what they say. The facts matter.
There seems to be a lot of nameless people on here that are pointing fingers at other places. I’m not sure who they are hiding behind anonymous profiles but I wouldn’t shoot so quickly at them being guilty of anything. It’s relevant to ask why if you are so concerned about all this why do you seem to be exempting others. Facts keep getting mentioned, If a guy gets hit by a train, a fact is he got hit by a train. We could stop there, or we could look deeper was he pushed? Was he late? Rushing? Did the train blow its horn? Were the gates working? Did signals work? Was he injured? The answers to those questions certainly don’t change the fact that he was hit by the train, but each adds a layer of context.
Here is a fact a professional reputable experienced auditor, conducted a audit. A yellow book audit meeting the highest Federal Standards. Standards set by Federal Government. Fact this auditor has every transaction every name every position. He had a why what and when to everything. Here’s a little context
GAO logoU.S. Government Accountability Office
Breadcrumb
Home WatchBlog 05 What Is the Yellow Book?
WatchBlog
What Is the Yellow Book?
Posted on May 20, 2014
Since 1972, GAO has produced and maintained Government Auditing Standards, also known as the Yellow Book. The Yellow Book is the book of standards and guidance for auditors and audit organizations, outlining the characteristics of good audit reports, professional qualifications for auditors, and audit quality guidelines. Many auditors of federal, state, and local government programs use these standards, commonly referred to as generally accepted government auditing standards (GAGAS), to produce their reports. How Did the Yellow Book Get Its Nickname? In an interview with Marcia Buchanan, who maintained the Yellow Book for 22 years, we heard that it’s called the Yellow Book because the group that put it together in 1972 thought that it should have a gold cover and be called it the “Golden Rules of Auditing.” The Comptroller General at the time, Elmer Staats, thought that was very presumptuous. And so it became the Yellow Book—getting close to gold, but not completely. How Does the Yellow Book Help Auditors? The Yellow Book standards help auditors hold the organizations they audit accountable. GAGAS contains requirements relating to ethics, independence, auditors’ professional judgment and competence, quality control, performance of the audit, and reporting. The standards help ensure the information disclosed in an auditor’s report has been objectively acquired and evaluated to be sufficiently useful to its readers. The Yellow Book discusses three types of audits:
Performance audits can be used to improve program performance, reduce costs, and help organizations make better decisions.
Financial audits provide an independent assessment of whether an organization’s reported financial information is presented fairly in accordance with recognized criteria.
Attestation engagements cover a broad range of financial or nonfinancial objectives. The auditor issues an examination, a review, or an agreed-upon procedures report.
Readers know they can rely on the information contained in an audit report that used GAGAS standards and use it to make key decisions. How Do I Get It? The Yellow Book was last revised in 2011. More information and links to the Yellow Book are available on our website. There, you will also find contact information that you can use to get in touch with us if you have any questions about implementing Yellow Book standards in your audits. Once you get your copy, you won’t want to leave it behind!
Nothing was found to be unethical, no mention of self dealing, no boardering unethical or unsound spending. These are facts . The audit is a matter of public record and can obtained fairly easily.
Now let’s talk more facts in March I David Rook had a reoccurence of use. I self reported to VARR, TRRVA, the Office. Of Recovery and many other groups and agencies. I stepped down from my position of Chairman of The Board at VARR, Stepped Down as President of TRRVA. After a short period of attempts to solidify my recovery, I checked into a treatment center. I did go back to work at TRRVA following this period re-engaged in 12 step fellowship and began seeing an individual therapist. I served out my term on VARR board holding no position at executive level nor serving on any committee. My work at TRRVA was limited working with executive team and development not with residents. Early December 2022 I experienced another couple of weeks of on again off again use. I did not work during this period and personally made a decision to take indefinite leave of absence to focus solely on my recovery and family. I have arranged drug testing through an independent doctors office where results of frequent test will be provided to the mother of my youngest child and subsequently will be made available to VARR if requested and any party that I may have professional dealings with. I am currently working with recovery people and treatment professionals that I have no business dealings with. This really isn’t anyone’s business and is difficult to navigate under normal circumstances These are facts , facts that have been difficult for my family, kids especially, difficult for my staff, for me and my friends. You guys want to imply stuff about VARR money TRRVA business practices have it. I’m doing what I need to do to be the father my kids have come to know and count on and would hope for those of you that would like to see me down… you will show some discernment around addiction.
I’ll end with this no one that’s ever really spent time with me or gotten to know me would ever suggest my goals were ever greed driven. I really believed and believe VARR is a vessel for better care in recovery houses. That without that money a lot of people that went to work today, celebrated a milestone, saw their own children, spent Christmas with their families would be in jail or worse, using. In under a year with that funding VARR operators moved from 80% white 20% non white….to nearly 50% 50%. That’s access folks that’s opening doors, that’s making positive change. Want to do something good for your community? Go to VARR help them find people in rural areas that are capable running houses serve as a conduit. Help them identify and get the Tidewater area housing community built up! We need more not less, and if you need money from our allocated dollars in the Richmond area to do it, I’ll be there to support and advocate for that. Working on VARR for ten years , at endless hours as a volunteer sometimes it was just two of us that believed in standards and self regulation and carried that flag…it was never about money… the money was unimaginable..literally unimaginable. We wanted funding to run the office and have bandwidth to certify houses.
Pretty sure VARR wasn’t a thing ten years ago
Your wrong about this as well. First VARR board meeting I attended was at the SAARA center in 2012. The first best practices summit John and I attended representing VARR was in Atlanta October 2012. McShin was certified in 2013 along with just a few others from the city. 2015 VARR received its nonprofit status.
Rook ur timeline is wrong. I was at the first varr meeting. You were there as well as Kate and Anthony Grimes and a few other people. We were in McShin’s basement. Kate was elected president. John wanted to model VARR after FARR because of all the horrible things his brother was doing and he wanted to put a stop to it. I didn’t get clean until 2014 so this must have been in 2015..
Nope I’m not wrong Kate was never president she elected as executive director. That certainly was not even close to the first VARR meetimg. In 2013 Curtis Colodney formerly with NARR came down to do inspection at Mcshin.
VARR was kicking around some years before that. Check with Virginia State Corperation Commission it’s an easy search you will see we officially filed 6\8\2012. https://cis.scc.virginia.gov/EntitySearch/BusinessInformation?businessId=326728&source=FromEntityResult&isSeries%20=%20false. There you go I made it easier. But your comments about what you think you know epitomize this whole thing. Also first board meeting I attended was in place of John, The entire board resigned at that meeting as there was conflict between SAARA and McShin. Then there became two groups bidding to carry the VARR flag and get recognition from NARR. McShin and SAARA of Virginia. NARR asked one simple question in the end that determined who would get the nod. SAARA was asked if they would include McShin in membership and McShin was asked if they would include SAARA. McShins answer and I know this because I gave it was that if SAARA had recovery houses of course they could join. I’m not sure what SARA’S answer was but NARR determined that VARR at that point would recognized under McShin. We had to then officially form VARR because NARR wanted a state affiliate not a certified organization as an affiliate hence 6\8\2012. We had meetings with 30 plus people from around the state at Mcshin we visited places in fancy gap, Galax etc. Sarah Scarbroughs husband build our first website. So I’m happy at some point you sat in a room but assure you there so much that had already been done.
I was not asked to resign I offered to resign. I did not give meds that belonged to McShin to that person. That individual had actually turned those meds over to me to keep locked with other unused meds. What I did was return those meds to that person. I offered to resign and it was accepted as the right thing to do as perception of events would be bad
The next month John myself and another started TRRVA. I also went to work for McShin under 1099 to get the Faquier County.
Not the pariah most would have me be.
I’m not calling you a pariah. I hear you, things happened with varr before I was around that I wasn’t aware of and I was wrong … sounds good. People make mistakes, no one is perfect. I know you feel like all of this is a personal attack on just you but I hope that you can see that multiple factors involving multiple people have made a lot of people upset over the years. This is not just on you. Don’t shoulder all of the responsibility of feeling like you have to defend the whole thing. I know you’re upset, this whole thing must feel really overwhelming. I hope you find some peace on the other side of all this.
I really do have peace in all this. Someone asked why I’m the only one commenting out of all of these folks and I can’t speak for them I assume people are interested in the real story and that people can see none of us get rich off grant money. The shear number of folks getting grant money the massive jump in minorities getting services and gaining access. The increase in average length of stay. Why is that important? Because scientifically the longer one stays engaged the better chance of a positive outcome. Funding has helped to lessen that burden. Richmond Metro area is a Mecca for recovery unlike many places not just in the country but in the state. I would guess over 90% of beds in VA exist right there so it’s obvious that we would have greater spending. I mean people tying negativity to my involvement with Peters Place. We shut down a house which reduces bed count lowers grant dollars available to help that community get a house up and running. Of course they applied for help you can imagine I suppose the barriers the Trans BIPOC community faces from jails homelessness and lack of safe employment. The rent that is collected as a land lord vs an operational recovery is significant. Imagine the Freedom was a good idea it was a great idea. Combine entities share resources create a non profit to serve anyone that walks through the door. Get a full service mental health service on site. If you were in VARR board meeting at any point then you probably understand issues around transportation scheduling issues with so many people. Yes I put together a team of folks to come out of their own pockets to buy our building. Stigma is real pushy neighbors other tenants members of a church that you might rents from. A building in the corner just of the highway in the heart of Henrico. Every one put over 40 k of there own dollars up for that. To date not one person has recipient a dime back on initial investment. ITF has only cost TRRVA River City and WAR money. It does not feed our companies anything . The little grant for staffing peers doesn’t begin to cover the expense space. VARR was always about standards always about the state and all operators and their participants it’s not overwhelming its heartbreaking to see folks turn it to something it isn’t. True Recovery RVA is not cash flush and carries almost 4 million in debt. Yeah we borrow from my partners grandmother we have several other Owner financed houses, and we rent some. Ownership hasso many advantages other than just financial. I learned that at McShin and so did they . I’m guessing others are not commenting because they don’t believe anyone here even wishes to see anything but bad. If you were in that room I’m going to assume you know me and know at that time I was killing myself to be of service at just over 600 a week trying to raise two boys. I would assume you saw TRRVA get started and have some idea of how broke I lived and worked other jobs for a year before drawing a paycheck. I could have focused solely on True I could have made it non profit I could have put all my energy there. I didn’t I believed VARR. Again it’s not overwhelming it heartbreaking and if you know me at all you know that’s the truth. I appreciate your last comment
This audit keeps being mentioned as if it shows there is no wrong doing or provides absolution for any suggestion of unethical behavior. The auditors are not digging in to the level that this reporter has. They look to see things like “VARR received capacity expansion funds and those funds went to companies to start recovery housing, so congrats you’ve passed the audit”. They are not looking a layer deeper – who are the people actually getting this money, are these companies owned by people that would present serious conflicts of interest, etc”. You cannot tell me if the auditors where aware that Jimmy Christmas, a board member of VARR, was getting 20 whatever percent of capacity expansion funds slated to be disbursed throughout Virginia, and another 20 whatever percent was going to the brother of a politician who is a huge VARR supporter, you cannot tell me that is not worth mentioning in an audit. Audits are not the end all be all. Arthur Anderson was an”independent auditor” for decades. Guess who one of their biggest clients was….wait for it…..ENRON! Arthur Anderson passed their “audits” with flying colors for years. Then one day, a few investigative reporters published stories that Enron was a mountain of fraud, audits be damned. Same with the financial crisis of 2008. How many “auditors” gave these over-leveraged financial institutions and securities AAA ratings for years, until it was all too late. Once again, investigative journalists had to figure out where the audits fell short.
Someone with a brain.
David’s dissertation didn’t move me much either.
It’s the way the funds have been spent that are the issue. That $39,000 sliver of funds the rest of the state received was so small I had to borrow my granny’s glasses to see it.
The audit is NOT the issue here.
Thank you for pointing that pointing that out.
Screw the audit. They have mishandled funds by favoring themselves and their buddies.
Period.
Hey David explain that email Frank sent to DBHDS…..
“You can spin it into a conflict. You can make the perception.”
“You don’t think it is?”
“No, because I think we know better than anybody who actually has programs. …”
David knows best. That’s pretty bold. I didn’t know 10 years in the field and now you know best. Not saying you don’t know a lot but to say we know better than anybody is pretty bold David.
I didn’t say I knew best and I didn’t make decisions s on funds? The one person with a program that has been mentioned has for beds and I believe with all sincerity has been given maybe 2 simple directives and they just haven’t been done. When I was asked a question I wasn’t told who said it. The office does an in depth job folks paperwork policies and procedures so when i say we “the varr office” know best its because the office has reviewed all their stuff. The. assumption is that we are wrong and now the five magic and mysterious unnamed groups have programs that they sell not that they use at a price of xx. They have to be telling the truth correct? We don’t even know who they are. What I do know is that as of December none of them had contacted the VARR office with any new inquiries for money about programs.
What about Stafish email to DBHDS. Starfish was being put under new operator process was required to meet with Bob weekly was required to have Bob do trainings with staff and interview clients. When a conversation was actually had with Frank he and his wife felt as if McShin had somehow influenced the board to try and stop him from becoming certified. We assured Starfish that McShin had no bearing on his situation and new operator policy would be required of all new members. So I believe once they realized they were not being singled out and the importance of new operator policy and the support that comes with that from VARR office their concerns were lessened. They didn’t hush money they showed up to the open portion of the board meeting they listened to discussions about funding streams and they applied for money. They asked lots of questions they had no more information than any other operator had at their finger tips. They simply decided to be involved and ask questions and show up to board meetings.
10 years to build VARR for the better part of 8 of those years with no funds. Just pointing out its never been about the money.
You guys keep pointing out that this area got most of the funds most of the beds are in this area that’s it. It’s too bad we all know each other.
Yes the auditor knows all the. Board members and he saw all the money and he knows who is in each organization.
If I’m not mistaken new laws were developed after ENRON and thet probably had 50 billion in assets with teams of accountants, but we are clearly in the same picture thanks for mentioning it.
The reporter’s motivations keep getting brought up. From what I can see, she’s not being paid for this. She doesn’t stand to gain millions in government grants. She has no personal vendetta against these people. Based on her bio and what she’s stated, she seems to actually care about a vulnerable population being mistreated or being used for personal gain. She seems to care more about these people as individuals than some of these RCO operators. That’s the problem with incentives – operators with for-profit businesses make more money when people relapse, make more money when they force people into treatment against their will, make more money when they give grants to their cronies. When you make money per head, I’m sure it’d be difficult for anyone to not start seeing sick and suffering addicts as dollar signs. You start to see situations as mentioned in the article, where VARR has a $500k bank balance, but tells DBHDS they need more money right away. Then when some no-name RCO operator in rural Virginia asks for a pittance, they get turned away because they “haven’t input enough data”. But when VARRs friends need money, it’s no problem. The reporter doesn’t seem to have anything to gain and actually wants to help this money be spent in a responsible way to suffering people can get the care they deserve.
Recap is how VARR and the state ensures that dollars are spent on actual people. The VARR office follows up and interviews recipients of the funds. If they just released the funds to groups without any controls that would be the sticking point here. Four beds …four this would literally take around 4hrs of time every 30 45 days it’s not too much to ask and has always been part of the policy.
Being referred to a higher level of care isn’t forcing treatment on anyone. It’s option that ways what’s best for the individual and what’s best for the community. We are obligated to report to courts on court ordered people. What do think happens when we report a relapse to the court and we state offered to engage participant higher level of care but they denied. We are raising accountability and we are doing our best to offer more. We try to avoid consequences other groups do things like go to healing place for two weeks and if you don’t you can’t stay or come back. I like our method better.
Someone also stated above that the rest of the state got 39k. I’m guessing that’s in indigent funds? Russell County project I believe in year one received around 300k. Well over what any other project received.
I also believe the office has strategic plans to make more effort to get more rural projects underway and begin to build a much needed south eastern and Tidewater area growing.
I know Julie and Meredith at The Recovery Connection had to close multiple houses because of lack of funding. If funding was supposed to be distributed to organizations based on number of beds how do you explain this? How do you explain the fact that Winchester lost all those beds for addicts suffering because TRC only got $3k from VARR while your buddy got $30k just for furniture for his start-up house? You’re so used to talking your way out of everything and manipulating everyone around you.. the numbers don’t lie Rook. Just keep spinning tho.. keep just skirting around the truth.. like you weren’t fired from McShin, you were just asked to resign. You weren’t giving meds to a participant, just your ex girlfriend. You weren’t sleeping with participants, just former participants. Addicts can’t afford to lose beds, but you only care about new beds owned by your friends. Get real Rook…
Julie is a friend of mine as well. I believe they had funding through a CSB partnership and their closing s may have been before we received expansion funds or indigent funds. They did close one house as they opened their own ASAM Level 3.1 low intensity treatment and are able to bill medicaid at that location. The VARR office myself included have had talks with them about their willingness to use funding for expansion in that area.
Julie is a friend of mine as well. I believe they had funding through a CSB partnership and their closing s may have been before we received expansion funds or indigent funds. They did close one house as they opened their own ASAM Level 3.1 low intensity treatment and are able to bill medicaid at that location. Recovery Connection is a great group I would love to see funds go there . The VARR has had those discussions with them
I just have one question- why is Rook the ONLY one continuing to respond to everything out of all these people………….
Because he only had one comment to make and that was it. And also he only knows about this because people send him the links. Duh.
David,
I have a couple sincere questions for you and please Just the truth if you are capable of that as many of us are trying to make sense of this. You have to know a lot of things aren’t adding up in yalls favor. That’s not spinning perception, just stating the obvious.
We know war, true, [organization redacted] & [organization redacted] funnel people to river city IOP and we know you get a check each month based off of how many people attend. I didn’t say every single person but we know a large majority. I literally know this to be 100% fact. You deny that true receives any form of kickback or compensation and that is a complete and total lie. I personally know for a fact you do. Also, your own staff and staff at war and [organization redacted] admit to these kickbacks and say they aren’t illegal. So, what’s the story? You’re denying it all together and others are saying – yes, we do get money back and it’s not illegal.
[Name redacted] tells his participants that’s how they keep the lights on and to just be quiet and do it because that’s how they are able to stay at [organization redacted].
Maybe the numbers have changed over the last couple months but I know damn well the operation y’all have been running for over a year. So, yes if you could please help me understand that.
Moving on to my next question or point.
Isn’t it safe to say that true recovery and war, mcshin use mostly donated furniture and items for their houses? I wasn’t aware any of the 3 or even journey for that matter got large amounts of money to fully furnish 2 houses. You have to admit it’s absurd that lotus recovery would get over 30k to furnish a house or 2 man. That money could have been used elsewhere.
Same with urban….82k for 2 residence startups for 9 months and furnishings….
No, this isn’t about race. It’s Actually kind of shallow of you to even suggest that but I get you’re grasping for Straws trying to make all Of this make sense for others.
Why has Kim adams with recovering hands not been able to stay afloat despite asking varr for help yet the majority of Richmond gets tons of money. Same with other operators throughout the state. That’s one thing you can’t deny. Those graphs are real David the money placement……christa didnt reach up her butt and just pull those out did she? No, they are real money numbers.
Why was Anthony grimes urgently demanding money from Cort kirkley with dbhds while Sitting on a large cash balance ? That just seems so strange to me. Maybe that one is just ego? We all know Zohab is yalls inside man there but things aren’t adding up with that relationship either and you’re naive if you think folks at dbhds aren’t scratching their little heads right now at all of this. We get it.. dbhds trusted varr to allocate and disperse funds and the trust has now been broken.
Last but not least….. can you just admit the conflict of interest between you/ VARR and Anthony grimes/varr in regards to your former position there and his current and your respective recovery businesses. I’m not getting into board members but first it was you & then you said you stepped aside for Anthony. No one is saying that you guys haven’t worked hard to get where you’re at, I don’t doubt that at all. But I think things went to the left a little and greed is a mother fucker. As addicts we want more more more. No one is saying you shouldn’t be making money. Businesses have to profit, yes. But Don’t forget majority of us live here. We can all see things with our own eyes. Houses.. (yes plural) cars, vacations, ways and means of living, etc.
Not just you. Previously mentioned names as well.
So those days where you made 600 a week are over and Have been over… you worked hard. You deserve a good life but stop trying to act like oh true recovery is in debt, we borrow from Coleman’s grandmother, no one profits from eco.
No one is hurting over there. Again, you should be making money but as I said… I think the money got to your head.
As someone else said, this isn’t all on you. In one breath, I feel like by commenting you’re just digging a deeper hole. I know you do not see it that way but in that same breath, I somewhat commend you for being the only One with balls to do so.
And please for the love of god stop insulting our intelligence by denying what happened with your departure at mcshin. No one is trying you for a crime
But It’s actually disrespectful that you continue to try to say what really happened didn’t happen.
Like I said, David…. Most of us live here and have lived here. We know what happened with [name redacted]. End of story.
If you could please help me gain some understanding about the above. Thanks.
I don’t have much to comment except I know for an absolute fact that David was not fired, was not asked to resign, but did exactly as he stated and chose to walk away from his position at McShin. It was his choice and John didn’t stop him. The detox medication was in McShin’s safe from when the owner was there and he rightfully returned it to her… I’m not even sure why this is being brought up but I do have to drop my 2 cents here!
[Name redacted] hadn’t been a resident of McShin for years before that happened. I was there when she quit and started her own women’s houses. Her meds were absolutely not in that safe left from when she was previously at McShin because the last time she was at McShin she was clean and a staff member. Y’all need to please stop trying to gaslight the people who were around and remember that whole situation clearly. It was fucked up and traumatic for a lot of people. It’s honestly pretty messed up that it even keeps being spoken about but please for the love of Jesus stop trying to gaslight people about what actually happened.
Coming now from a former Board Member, yes David was forced into resigning from McShin or he would have been fired, he got to make that choice. Stop with the lies, everyone knows what went down there.
I remember when i used to take bits and pieces of facts and try to connect the dots to convince myself the feds were after me. I made some really compelling arguments too. I was on meth though. Of course there was also a time where i connected the dots about the illuminati using Lady Gaga videos for mind control. And that time i wasnt on drugs. So i totally get the whole obsessive conspiracy psychosis thing.
Warmest regards <3
Chauncie, are you saying these allegations are false?
My guess is that if you’re putting out a 10 article blog that your best evidence won’t come out at the beginning. Nonetheless, she’s reported multiple situations that deserve explanation. Everything she’s stated has been followed by screenshots, emails, or documents from her FOIA request. As the commenter above stated, Rook is spinning different explanations than other named parties. Just because they’re not responding on here doesn’t mean they’re not explaining things away to multiple people otherwise. The recovery community is big in Richmond, but word travels fast. Multiple people know for certain that things he is claiming are lies. It’s also not too much for other areas to ask why Richmond won’t announce or share potential government funds. In fact, blatantly disregard when asked directly per the emails shown. A lot of these numbers seem to be based on the amount of heads that can be counted. You don’t have to share more money if you roadblock efforts to expand availability in other areas before it can even start. Just because some commenters know named parties in real life and choose to believe they couldn’t do these terrible things doesn’t mean there’s no truth behind it. The fact is, even before the 2nd article was posted, multiple organizations named have changed business practices and added website disclosures that contradict their previous practices. It seems illogical this would happen on a witch-hunt to me. All of these individuals stating this is all garbage are going to look pretty ignorant after this all unfolds. It seems smarter to support in silence to me because it’s just not going to pan out the way those people are certain it will. I can promise you, it won’t.
Any addict is subject to relapse at any time. We put ourselves through enough hell if we do relapse… I can’t imagine having to go through that so publicly and with so many people wishing for my downfall. It’s disgusting. I hope whoever needs to be is focusing on themselves and their recovery and not worrying about this amateur blog. It’s gross to publicly discuss something so personal to a person in recovery and it’s no one’s business. A relapse also doesn’t negate the recovery we had prior or our ability to still help others. There’s no way someone publicly seeking information and publicly shaming people for using cares about addicts.
What I learned from this blog is that a successful black man was able to gain access to much needed funds and begin helping an underserved population. Another black man was able to start a business and do the same. Black people (black males in particular) are incarcerated at higher rates than the rest of the population and are less likely to be offered treatment. They face many other barriers to recovery as well. There was also mention of Shauntelle and Peters Place … they help underserved populations as well. The LGBTQ community experiences substance use at a much higher rate than the heterosexual population. We also have more barriers to treatment and are at a higher risk of violence and sexual abuse. Thank god for all of them and the time they sacrifice to help others. How many private dollars did these people put into the recovery community? This blog was just a lot of people doing what they were supposed to with the funds it seems.
Huge red flags that the author left out so much context and is trying to spin a narrative for whatever selfish reasons she has. There was no mention of the recent audit. VARR was around for a long time before successfully gaining access to funds. There was a lot of free time and work put into the organization. Also missing is how long recovery house operators have been fighting and operating in the negative prior to being able to gain access to funding. The mention of the CA mad because SHE didn’t take a meeting and she initiated contact was comical. Also comical was the quote from DBHDS saying outside of CSBs, VARR has been the exception to their policies. Did anyone ask why CSBs are exempt? We all know the government is the most corrupt organization of all. Yet here the author (and anonymous commenters) is expecting them to do what exactly be truthful? Expose themselves? The government agencies care about addicts about as much as the author of this blog. Funds are finally being pulled away from the government, who is the least qualified of all to manage the addiction crisis we face in this country.
Hey Leslie,
I hear what you’re saying but I believe that people aren’t as upset about who did receive funds as they are about who didn’t receive the funding that they were also entitled to (like The Recovery Connection or Helping Hands). You mentioned that LGBTQ people are subject to higher rates of violence and sexual abuse, you’re right. Thank you for being an advocate for them.. I hope that you will also support and advocate for the victims of the sexual abuse that has occurred at the hands of some of the owners and operators of these organizations.
If you are in charge of other people’s recovery, you should be more scrutinized that a regular anonymous addict. If someone who runs one of these programs starts using, the people they serve could die. You are obviously friends with these people and automatically take their side, yet you don’t think about the participants in their program who suffer because of their actions. The newcomer should be the focus. If you are going to put yourself in a position of power over the lives of other addicts, and also become what is basically an extension of law enforcement by having people court ordered to your program and reporting to these people’s P.O.s, then it should be incumbent upon you to maintain your own recovery, and if you don’t it should be public knowledge, as you are in a “supposed” position of serving the public. And you are wrong, getting high absolutely diminishes our ability to help others. Self-centeredness is a common trait of any using addict. Recovery is not about knowledge, it’s about action. You can have learned everything there is to know about recovery, but if you don’t have the action (the main action being staying clean), then you don’t have recovery. Recovery only happens in the here and now.
You also seem like you want to make this a racial thing because it serves you and your friends interests (interest that include enriching themselves with tax dollars slated to serve the community). You ignore the fact that 90% of the people named in the article are white. I guess if you’re black you should be exempt from anyone pointing out huge conflicts of interest. 99% of the money slated for the ENTIRE state has gone to just a few people in Richmond. Jimmy Christmas, a board member of VARR and a business partner and office-space-sharer with many of these people, him a hundred thousand dollars for more Richmond recovery houses when rural communities all over the state get hardly anything presents a huge conflict of interest. A politician who is in bed with these people has a brother who gets hundreds of thousands of dollars to open another recovery house in Richmond is a HUGE conflict of interest. You can try to spin it any way you want but the fact remains. Why is he getting so much money and so many others are left out. Also, many of the people who had trouble receiving funds were people of color, another fact which you like to omit. And how is the money given to these people being spent? It really is a black hole with no oversight.
We don’t know if people are doing the right things with the funds, as there is no real oversight or tracking of the money. VARR just reports “we gave X amount to organization Y” with these expansion funds. That’s it. What happens after that? It is absurd that seemingly educated people keep mentioning this audit like it shows there are no misdeeds going on. First, the audit was linked multiple times in this reporter’s story. You obviously didn’t click any of the links, but information stated in the story comes directly from the audit report. Secondly, all the audit report shows is that VARR spent the money where they said. VARR said they gave (these are made up figures for illustration) $50,000 to Starfish, and we the auditors verify that there was a check written from VARR to Starfish in that amount. The audit only verifies what VARR gives them. The audit also names “related parties” – aka board members whose organizations get VARR funds. I feel like the mention of the audit is a talking point that your friends at VARR have given you to distract from the malfeasance that is actually occurring.
To your point about the Commonwealth’s Attorney, like almost every other VARR member that isn’t in the exclusive club, she had no idea any funding was available. Why is it incumbent on people trying to open a recovery house to have to set a meeting to find out there is funding available? If this funding, which once again comes from the taxpayers, is slated to expand recovery in Virginia, why is VARR so tight lipped about having it, even with their own members? Is it so they can take almost exclusive advantage of giving the money to their for-profit organizations and get rich?
How you can sit there and say these conflicts of interest couldn’t possibly negatively effect people seeking recovery brings into question your motivations behind your post. I can’t tell if you are obtuse or are just in denial, but how you can seem to believe that EVERYTHING is above board is beyond me.
Such bold opinions for someone with no name. I never claimed everything was above board. I am no more privy to a private businesses books than anyone else here, including the author. I know that if things are being mishandled then it will come out in the wash. But what I won’t do without evidence is publicly bash anyone in the recovery community that helps others (or even that doesn’t help others). No single organization is perfect and people are fallible. No person in recovery should be held in higher regards than any other. We all just try to stay clean another day ultimately and help someone else do the same. Also, I am very familiar with audits and the entire process … from both sides.
Actively using would affect anyone yes. But returning back to recovery after a relapse doesn’t mean that you have lost all knowledge or that you are incapable of helping others. There are families involved … children, spouses, parents. I would be devastated if I relapsed and did the things most using addicts do and then someone published it for my child and all her friends to read.
I wouldn’t claim to be friends with any of the people involved. I talk to zero of them on a regular basis. I just think this attack on the recovery community as a whole is disgusting. I think it’s childish that various organizations can’t work together and figure out the best way to help the people coming through the doors. I think the people that suffer the most from all of this will be the people in or seeking housing and that is sad. We can’t afford to lose funding or beds … we need more of both. We need more people advocating for better public policy instead of arguing in the comments of a blog that will result in nothing.
Umm yeah that seems to be the point of this… to raise awareness so better public policies can be implemented. You’re not the sharpest are you?
You must not know her in person she is very intelligent and probably could shut this whole blog down if she wanted too
Really? She could shut down the blog? She’s in charge of the internet?
That doesn’t come across very well if that’s her point. I can’t find any mention of her advocacy anywhere. Has she been to any of the public house sessions in the state and advocated? What about at the federal level? Has she worked with legislators to write new policy? Is she working closely with addicts and organizations to see what’s needed to actually help make a difference?
When I say better public policy I mean ending the war on drugs that was started by the government. We need less government not more. Harm reduction policies are needed … needle exchanges, decriminalization, safe injection sites. People working closely within the community not hiding behind a screen. I must have missed all that in the blog somewhere too.
If all you have to contribute to the discussion is insults while hiding behind “anonymous” then I’m done with this conversation. Hope you have the day you deserve! Great chatting.
🖤
Why is it so hard for you to understand the role of a journalist? Are you telling reporters who write about Trump they should run for president if they don’t like him too? Your argument is asinine. Journalist write articles, that’s what they do. They don’t work with legislators to write laws. This is just a stupid thing to say.
Also, I’m sorry for insulting you. It’s just that some of the things you are saying make so little sense, it’s like a divine force overtakes me and compels me to point it out. It’s for the public good to know when someone is talking out of their ass as well.
I think the comment was meant in response to taking down the blog if you wanted to. The fact is that the information in the blog isn’t news to most of us. The author is just now backing it up with facts so there’s a paper trail. This is only the 2nd of 10 so my guess is she hasn’t even scraped the service. People are mad. People have been mad.
She’s doing journalism, not public policy. Your comment is like saying, “Stop reporting about police brutality! Become a police officer!”
Lesley:
The recovery community isn’t being attacked. I don’t see how you took that from this blog. And where in this blog is anyone shamed for using?
And if you knew Christa at all, you’d know how ridiculous it is to say she doesn’t care about addicts.
Fellow addicts don’t get a free pass to do grimy shit.
I mean so we have a blog now to just bash successful businesses who literally help thousands of people a fucking year ? I get trying to fucking clean shit up because no where is perfect and as a former true recovery employee. I’ve seen a 20,000 a month rent payment and only being able to pay not even half because of so many scholarships have been offered to so many people that can’t fucking pay and that’s what they do they help people but also they can’t help people successfully and safely when the windows are burned up ceilings are failing like I’m not sure if your aware but when true recovery took over eco flats it was a fucking war zone and falling apart (not sure who runs eco flats as of now but rook was the best thing that happened to them) and the fact that y’all are bashing the people who try and help the most is fucking disgusting and instead of bashing all of them fucking open your own recovery residence and do it your god damn self . Like people really are sick
Yeah every journalist that ever writes an article about anything should quit journalism and start a business in whatever they are writing about. Good thinking.
I mean when you are hurting more than helping then yeah why not
Not sure who started this blog but sounds like a bitter former employee of somewhere . They get fucking government funding let the government figure out whether it’s corrupt or not stop differing people away from places that fucking save lives it could be your mother your sister your cousin that needs fucking help but now they don’t want to get it because of some accusations you have no business making . Become a board member make some change stop fucking slandering all these names that the courts STILL SEND PEOPLE TOO AND THE GOVERNMENT STILL GIVES FUNDING TOO . Fuck outta here
That’s what I’m talking about! She has no intentions on trying to help just destroy.
Pretty sure in the about section it says that she has friends and family in recovery… including [identifier redacted].
Why the fuck would she want to destroy people in recovery you silly person.
Holding people accountable for WASTING a lot of government funding = let’s do it. Sure a lot of it helped. But lots have gone to waste. Well, I guess houses and cars and vacations aren’t a waste after all.
Glad someone finally stepped up to the plate. People been talking about this shit for years man. Someone just finally did the work.
You think this money is tracked. No.
They scrape off these lump sums like a son of a bitch. Chao.
How about a blog to help better the recovery community as a whole and not try and air any and all dirty laundry that may or may not be true like I do feel for the smaller organizations who get little to no help but think about how much true recovery and the bigger organizations have grown so much to be in a place to help others . I do not feel as if they can help EVERYONE like it’s impossible but vaar is set up as basically a guideline for recovery houses and u must follow the guidelines to even attempt to be apart of vaar im sure if vaar just gave any and everyone money cause they say they opened a recovery house shit would be fucked . I guess I just don’t understand where she is trying to go with all of this .
The point is a lot of them don’t get any. There’s no even distribution.
I mean is there not any other funding available besides vaar lol if you come to one road block move along to another option…. Don’t get me wrong I get it but look at other options … dunno not one to let one thing stop me from doing what I believe in
That’s your justification? Since Richmond keeps all the money, let it be and hope for something else that may or may not be? If it’s not coming from the government then I seriously doubt it’s a forgiven debt either. The entire point is to draw attention to figure out if it should be handled differently. You don’t just throw your hands up and let it be if it shouldn’t be. Of the millions Richmond kept, it seems beyond ridiculous they couldn’t give up $30k here and $20k there for the smaller communities. All the while giving yourselves tens of thousands to furnish homes that are actually mainly furnished with hand me downs. 1 small house in Richmond got $30k to furnish it. Are you kidding me??
Right! I mean why even have journalism? JuSt let The gOvErNmENt HaNdLe It.
HERES AN IDEA…. Y’all start your own organization and get grants and money and then distribute it the way you feel it should be and shut the fuck up
Bless your heart, you just proved everyone’s point. The money has been distributed the way that varr FELT it should be distributed instead of how the money was intended and mandated by the grant to be distributed. Now I know there are a lot of big words in here and big big emotions so go get yourself a drink of water and a seat. Take a breath honey and try again.
This is journalism. This is someone trying to figure out the truth. This is someone trying to help the new comer not hurt the community. There needs to be oversight when money is in the equation. These people making negative comments are ignorant, uneducated and would be the first ones to claim that “the man” is holding them down.
Nobody wants to be apart of vaar but everyone’s mad cause vaar won’t give them money ….. make it make sense
There’s like 5 positions that were grabbed up pretty quickly. The next post includes how they insulate each other to protect themselves. Why don’t you try again after reading that one.
Serious question …. If the money vaar is getting from the government is not being properly distributed …. Who would be in control of that and who determines who is eligible for money and who’s not … I’m assuming vaar has certain guidelines people need to follow in order to get assistance how would we make sure that whoever is supposed to get money actually gets money ? And why does the government keep giving them money if they’re not using it correctly? Not trying to argue trying to understand.
The author linked the contract between dbhds and varr. The contract states that indigent bed funding was supposed to be distributed based on number of beds within the organization and that indigent program funding (30 day programs for people who can’t afford them) should have been distributed between varr members who operate organizations that provide 30 day programs (as not all of them do). Dbhds also gave an allowance of funds for “expansion” meaning organizations could receive funding to hire new staff or open a new house. Dbhds trusted varr to distribute these funds between the varr members located throughout the state as was outlined in the contract. The problem is that organizations who are members of varr but not in the Richmond area were not informed of the funds or if they were aware of funds they could not gain access to it. A specific example of this is The Recovery Connection based in Winchester, VA. They offer 30 day programs but did not receive any indigent program funding. They also did not receive the indigent bed funding correctly based on the number of beds they had and were forced to close multiple houses. They were not made aware of and did not receive any expansion funding and had to lay off almost all their staff. This was what happened to multiple varr members outside of the Richmond area and outside of the tight knit circle of business partners that makes up the majority of varr and its board of directors. This is why people are upset. Dbhds was not aware of the fact that the funds were not being distributed as intended because all that varr was required to provide them was a break down of where the money actually went. Dbhds didn’t know there were other places where it should have gone as well, so they kept sending them more money. I hope that helps break this down a little better.
Wow ok thank you for explaining
Mark Blackwells job. Seemed to work very closely with David.
This is the biggest load of crap I’ve ever read. It’s very obvious the author has a deep resentment that this is all fueled by. You cannot do honest journalism with a bias. I came into true recovery back in 2018 without a penny to my name. I struggled to find a job at first and David and Coleman let me rack up quite a bill and trusted me to pay what I owed. They didnt have to do that. I was filling a bed that people were knocking the door down to get. If they were “all about the money” I would’ve been gone the first time I couldn’t pay. The comments I’m reading by the angry people are clear as day and I’ve seen them before. Previous participants that couldn’t follow rules so were moved along. (Most of them at least) Your fault. We’re here to change our ways of life and true recovery has 100% changed the trajectory of mine by showing me the ropes and giving me the safe place to do it. Smart people will read this and see exactly what’s going on. Someone with an axe to grind taking things out of context to fit a narrative with absolutely no concrete proof of ANYTHING. What a waste of time. David don’t waste your time with this crap. We in the community know better. You don’t have to defend yourself over this garbage. Thank you for everything you do.
Which part is untrue?
People getting so upset, you know who gets upset? Guilty people. Recovery community has been turned upside down in the past few years. The whispers of operators sleeping with participants, sending money to people while in active addiction. Only two reasons someone would do this, 1) because they are using as well. Or 2) to keep their secrets. At the end of the day it’s a very positive thing that this blog is exposing all these secrets that have been probably been eating away at some of those involved. I know we have only seen two sections and there’s much more to come.
I just want to say thank you for posting this and sharing this.
I’ve written my state reps about my concerns about $2.8 Million out of $2.84 Million staying in 1 region and VARR’s handling of these funds. Greater oversight by DBHDS is necessary. People across the state deserve access to substance abuse treatment that’s funded with state dollars- period.
I’ve met David Rook in my recovery process and I believe he has made positive contributions to the recovery community. I do not care to comment on any controversy that is outside of my recovery experience. I don’t know jack about much of what’s said here in the comments or the internal goings on of any recovery house. That said it makes zero sense that any organization including his or even McShin receive more funding than ALL of the rest of the state outside of central VA.
How many needy & valid organizations outside of Central VA received nothing? That alone isn’t right and on that any recovering addict should have enough sympathy & empathy to recognize. As we as a community ask for more funding to help people who are in need it’s imperative that said funds be distributed fairly. DBHDS must take a more hands-on role in the distribution of these funds, and not allow a private entity to decide where they should go. VARR as a lobbying organization has every right to advocate for more funding. I hope they persuade the state to increase funding for all recovery organizations. DBHDS should not hand off the responsibility of distribution to VARR or any private organization. DBHDS needs to decide who gets what funds and do due diligence prior and after. Otherwise the public will never know if funds are ethically distributed and those funds will always be at risk of being taken away and needy recovering addicts won’t get the necessary support.
I am a complete outsider and have never met any of these people personally. But I do have a loved one who has been involved in their programs and I have seen first hand the amount of heart, commitment, and drive to do the right thing comes from these individuals. Are their programs perfect….. of course not, but nothing ever is. That being said, I have the upmost respect for the groundbreaking work they have done when it comes to recovery and I don’t think anyone has taken a step back to see just how far the recovery community has come as a result of all of these individuals. Let me also say that he who is without sin cast the first stone. No one is perfect and everybody makes mistakes…especially when trying to navigate the red tape of the government and how to bridge the divide between what is needed in the community and how to work around all the barriers put in place to achieve that. Did these individuals make some mistakes? Or course…. who wouldn’t when dealing with all of this?!??! But did they also open the door and create a much needed foundation for recovery while doing the best they could with what they had?! Absolutely! How many of these commenters or even the author of this article even attempted to take on what these individuals took on? And if this author wants to do a full on investigation into corrupt services from grants and government money, she should direct her time and energy to the multitude of pop up agencies who say they are for “mental health support” but instead are fixing the books, creating ridiculous diagnoses to get more money and pocketing millions of dollars for themselves all in the name of “helping the community.” Many of those agencies are here today and gone tomorrow and they have absolutely no idea what they are doing. But who is shedding light on them? Who is taking a close look at them? I would love to know what that story looks like! But let me say this….. I know for a fact that the individuals named in this article have allowed individuals with certain circumstances to receive their services for free or they extended grants depending on circumstances, they have worked with families on fees and done anything and everything they could to help others in recovery get back on their feet when they needed it. But no one wants to talk about those things because it wouldn’t generate the same narrative. If we are going to make an attempt to expose these individuals for trying to build a strong recovery network then we better expose all those claiming they want better mental health services as well. Again, I don’t know who any of these people are personally, but what I do know is that we should be thanking them for taking the risks they took to provide our community with a much needed recovery support system. Because of these individuals, lives have been saved, families have been restored, the jails have alternative resources and those suffering with addiction, who would otherwise fall through the cracks, now have access to not only the recovery resources they need, but to an entire community of professionals to assist them on their recovery journey. Again, I am not saying that some things maybe should have been done differently, and in hindset maybe different decisions could have been made. But what all these individuals did to take on such a daunting and systematic problem in our area took guts, courage and grit to make happen and I don’t see anyone else on this thread doing even a fraction of that.
Ok just stop. You opened with you pretty much know nothing about our community or named people. Then point out people make mistakes. Mistakes and blatant lying, hiding, mishandling, omitting, unfairly accommodating, denying without cause, and everything that goes with that is much different than “mistakes”. Also, that’s great someone gave your friend a scholarship or what not. Did you ask you friend if they were a guy off the street or something that one of these people know? You’re basically saying all this is nonsense because you know a guy these guys helped and no one is perfect. Yeah, no thanks. Many of us already know a lot of what’s being reported, it just wasn’t with a paper trail. Now it is. So please don’t show up here and undermine the hard work that’s being used to shed light on this cesspool of our supposed govt advocate. What you don’t know is all the people who have been unfairly thrown out, abused, sexually abused, threatened, lied to, been used as pawns for these people to get what they’re really going after so until you want to make a long winded comment about all sides and not just the guy you know who is probably friends with one of the names parties, stay out of it.
I feel your pain.
It’s challenging to read some of these comments but hey, denial is a mother fucker.
You don’t get a free pass from the law and from fucking ethical and moral standards for helping people. You don’t get to just chalk that shit up to being an addict yourself. That’s half of these delusional people’s defense. “We help so many people, how could you say these things.” They subjected themselves to this shit when they signed up for it and took their positions. These people are really wondering why they are being looked at and judged. Ummm, you’re in charge of dispersing millions- that’s why.
I feel really really sad for some of these people but I feel completely reassured knowing that it will all come out in the end and then guess what. I will be the person saying I told you so. Haha. Sure fucking will.
It may take a little time but it’s coming. Don’t you worry about that. As said above… why are these people so upset? Typical guilty people behavior haha. Defensive and deflecting, pointing the figure all over the place. If they didn’t have anything to worry about they would just be carrying on as normal. Their stories don’t even add up. We HAVE all known this shit for years. I don’t know how they thought this would end well for them. Stay tuned for more my friend.
There isn’t one shred of proof of anything to be true. I’ve read every page of this and it’s all hear say and slander. That’s why it’s on a blog and nowhere else. That’s why it will never go any further than a few bad apples carrying on in the comments. Anonymous, there will always be blogs like this and people like you who believe anything. Frankly, it’s because you’re just not the brightest crayon in the box🤷. Look at ya, all wound up because people say something different than you and obsessing over the last word. Call your sponsor dude.
The mafia also owns legitimate businesses, too. Child predators often times are trusted civic leaders like Boy Scout leaders and Ministers. Most politicians claim they are for the betterment of the people and the community and we all know that’s a bunch of BS. Just saying.
There is proof. There is a clear contract between dbhds and varr outlining how the funds were intended to be distributed and emails and testimony from other varr members in regions outside of Richmond who did not receive the funds that they were entitled to. In this article the author does not state any opinions about the operators listed. The article is only facts. Funny how you say “call your sponsor” like you assume that everyone who reads this or has an opinion about this is in recovery. Normal people care how our tax dollars are spent, we care about corruption, we care about vulnerable people being exploited. It’s honestly alarming how you think that all of this is some personal vendetta. I’m not in recovery but have family members who are and from what I understand it’s important to be able to have someone to call you out on your bullshit when needed… so I’m calling bullshit. Maybe it’s you who needs to call your sponsor.
Those emails and texts are fake? Rook’s quotes are fake? He wasn’t interviewed?
So many questions. How is [name redacted] still working in this field, after impregnating a recipient of services? How is Anthony Grimes collecting literally millions of dollars AND deciding where funds go, as a CPRS?? Please tell me he has an accounting degree. Why so many couples involved and besties?? No one sees any of this as a conflict of interest?? How is Crystal a CEO as a peer?? Coincidence that Caitlyn left True Recovery right before this article came out. Why are these people making life changing decisions about people in recovery with no oversight?? What about all the RCO’s that got zero funding bc they were all money hungry??How do they sleep at night? I have heard Rook say, “We can’t help everyone and some people are going to die, that’s the way it is.” But he does all of this out of the kindness of his heart?? 🤣 This group of people are some of the most judgmental I’ve ever come across, yet they don’t want people judging them on facts. Make it make sense. I hope and pray the whole system is overhauled based on this information. People’s lives depend on it.
Preach baby, preach.
We all know it’s the truth.
Also, no……Mr. Grimes has no accounting degree 🤣 Just a good ole certified peer recovery specialist.
Dbhds really fucked up on this one huh.
WDYM with all these accusations? There’s no proof anywhere? How do we know [name redacted] got a participant pregnant? The kid proves nothing! Nobody can tell me Anthony doesn’t have an accounting degree even though people know him and it’s easily verified.. How do we know David resigned for giving meds out of the safe to an old participant in exchange for [redacted]? He himself told a bunch of people. Still doesn’t prove anything. These people are ridiculous. Someone could videotape a group conscious between those people admitting to all of it and they’d swear there was no proof.
This is why I left the rooms and I can assure you I won’t be returning. Addicts still acting like addicts.
This blog isn’t about the rooms.
I just want to say, I think it’s completely inappropriate that most of the questionable parties (all of them except Rook at this point) declined to comment on the blog. I assume out of fear because if I had the strong allegations against me, my livelihood, and my reputation throughout and entire large community, I’d do my best to clear my name…but they’re over on fb making fun of things like “how many newcomers did it take to buy that ring” and Coleman trying to look like a smart ass when someone questioned how people could question the validity of the blog by saying it’s all public knowledge last time he checked and all the while is fighting a legal battle not to give up any information even though VARR clearly falls under the category of non-profits accepting government funds and are compelled to share those documents when asked. And guess what, they were asked. That’s not hearsay like the rules disallow. Screenshots could be provided if there was an option to do so. I mean, I get that they’re scared, but how absolutely tacky and disgusting that this is the direction they’re going. It just shows me personally that even though they’re scared of getting caught, they still don’t feel bad for anything they’ve done. It’d also be nice if any one of them would care to shut down the rumor that Christa is a disgruntled participant or ex-employee. I’m sure they love letting people think that though.
Thank you for putting this info out there. I spent four months at Starfish last year. Please keep pursuing this story because the Bellangers are not good people. I can and will provide specific examples of their detestable behavior.
VARR – Posts | Facebook https://g.co/kgs/Vvnftm
Lotus recovery should not be accredited. [Redacted], they don’t work towards recovery they just give a drug test occasionally and [redacted].