Pueblo Rescue Mission responds to claims that leadership bullies, mistreats clients

Pueblo Rescue Mission’s executive director and some of its board members responded Monday to a letter sent to city officials that alleged members of the shelter’s leadership mistreat clients and ban people from the facility for inconsequential actions.

Melanie Rapier, executive director of the Pueblo Rescue Mission, shelter board chair Leroy Gonzales and board member Ken Wood spoke at Monday's city council work session after a few councilors expressed interest in hearing the shelter’s response to the letter and people who came forward at a work session and meeting last week to speak about it.

The letter, which was written by former client Richard Peña, alleged that Rapier and Lori Arabie, the shelter’s director of operations, are verbally abusive toward clients, treat emergency clients differently than residents and bully or ban people who defy them, among other claims.

“We understand the letter of concern that was issued. It’s unfortunate, but we do respond to that and we take it seriously," Gonzales said to city councilors Monday. “We want to make sure our organization is providing the service that we have promised to the community. To hear that there are concerned citizens out there who are refuting that we get the opportunity to (give them) additional shelter, we need to know how we’re doing. This letter of concern is telling us we can do better.”

Rapier disputed a number of claims in the letter, including that a staff member sprayed disinfectant on a client’s face, that clients are kicked out or banned for negligible actions and that residents are treated differently than emergency clients.

She also denied claims that people seeking emergency shelter aren’t welcomed and explained how staffing plays a role in decisions about capacity. She added that she is “doing the best she can” and tries to treat everyone with “humanity and respect.”

“I’m frustrated,” Rapier said. “I understand there is probably room for change and us to find maybe some better ways to do things, but I want to reiterate that this is a population that we’re working with — it’s very, very difficult.”

Rapier said that shelter staff have become “paralyzed” when it comes to how they should operate or handle situations at the facility because they’re unsure if a client will have a complaint about it.

“The unfortunate piece of all of this is that this letter, and whatever the agenda is behind it, is creating a fear and a concern about my staff being confident in making decisions,” Rapier said.

Rapier did not directly address her own alleged behavior but said that she “does not condone'' unprofessional communication in the workplace. She acknowledged how staff might be incited to be nervous, triggered or fearful when clients escalate their behavior.

Arabie’s alleged actions were not addressed by Rapier and city councilors did not ask about them.

“I expect the staff to maintain a professional behavior, to extend grace and patience to this population that we’re working with,” Rapier said. “I’m never going to say that process is perfect, never.”

After Rapier spoke, councilors asked about the shelter’s operations, its finances and its plan for a new emergency shelter. Councilor Larry Atencio addressed the claims and asked Rapier and her staff to “do better.”

Arabie appeared to respond to Atencio’s comments during the city’s Facebook livestream of the work session, writing, “Come down and volunteer Larry, and then you can say that.”

More: City council postpones vote on funding Pueblo Rescue Mission citing finances, client concerns

Councilors last week had been scheduled to vote on a subrecipient agreement that would award $400,000 in funding to the Pueblo Rescue Mission to buy a property at 710 W. Fourth St. and turn it into a warming shelter. Instead, they voted to postpone that decision to Oct. 23.

Rapier mentioned the pledge from Paul Tienda of the Tienda Foundation, which offered to financially match the city’s funding if council approves the agreement. Tienda told the Chieftain that he wants to see the Pueblo Rescue Mission become solvent and not rely on donations and city funding each year to operate effectively.

The Tienda Foundation, co-founded by Pueblo natives Paul and Yvonne Tienda, has invested time and effort into other Pueblo organizations and agencies. According to Paul’s proposal, the foundation would offer the Pueblo Rescue Mission $230,000 for operating, fundraising and consultation costs. The other $170,000 would help launch a statewide fundraising campaign and thrift store and pay for a tent that could serve as a warming shelter next fall, Tienda said.

In an email, Paul Tienda wrote that his primary objective is to “partner with the city leadership to help (Pueblo Rescue Mission) achieve perpetual self-sufficiency by May 2025” and estimated that the thrift store could generate $500,000 annually for the shelter if “done correctly.”

“I want to roll up my sleeves and dig into my pockets and bring the necessary people to make that happen so we don’t have to worry about (financing) year to year,” Paul Tienda said in an interview. “The shelter can focus on its mission and what it needs to do.”

The building at 710 W. Fourth St. is likely to serve as a warming shelter for Pueblo’s homeless this winter and was labeled by councilor Dennis Flores as a "permanent" solution for that annual effort.

If Pueblo Rescue Mission isn’t awarded the funds, the city is expected to contract with an organization that helps the homeless to run it. That could be the Pueblo Rescue Mission or another entity, a city spokesperson said last week.

Chieftain reporter Josue Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @josuepwrites. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo Rescue Mission denies former clients' claims of mistreatment