The Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky has declined to undergo a management audit, first suggested by Covington city officials in February, according to discussions at Tuesday’s city commission meeting.
“I did receive confirmation yesterday that they [the shelter] aren’t willing to participate in any sort of management audit or review,” City Manager Ken Smith said.
The Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky, located on 13th Street in Covington’s Westside neighborhood, is one of the region’s most well-known homelessness service providers. It offers 68 beds for emergency overnight stays between November and March, and many in the community still refer to the organization as ‘the cold shelter,’ even though it offers services year-round. Other services the shelter offers include an on-site medical clinic and a work program for men during the summer months.
Representatives from the shelter did not attend Tuesday’s meeting.
Complaints from neighbors and former employees at the shelter date back to last year. Mayor Joe Meyer suggested an audit following public testimonials and argued that expenses for EMS runs to the shelter were greater than other service providers in the city and, thus, the audit was necessary to ensure the shelter wasn’t relying on public services as a means of sidestepping their own shortcomings.
The commissioners did not discuss the issue in depth at the meeting. Smith said on Tuesday that city staff would offer new recommendations on how to proceed at a later date.