Staff Blog
BREAKING: City told homeless shelters to seek new, cheaper security guards
Yesterday, sources told City Paper that the Office of Supportive Housing, which oversees the city's homeless programs, told at least some of the contractors who manage city-funded homeless shelters that the city would no longer be directly paying for their security guards. Instead, the city will provide contractors with a budget for security, and has directed them contractors to seek new, less expensive contracts.
According to a memo, obtained by City Paper, which circulated among the managers of one provider in early February, the change is due to take place on March 1.
A call to the Office of Supportive Housing was not immediately returned. We'll post any response.
Donald Myers, who manages the Resources for Human Development shelter on Ridge Avenue, confirmed this morning that he had been instructed to seek a new security contract.
"I had a conversation with the city," said Myers over the phone. "They told me they could no longer afford to provide pay for security at the rate that we were getting it. They gave us a reduced rate, told us to put it in our budget as a budget line item, and then they told us to go through a contract process and to select the best provider for our dollar."
Currently, homeless shelter security guards are paid for directly by the city, which contracts with security company Scotland Yard for their services. As city employees, the guards are supposed to earn a "prevailing wage," as per a 2007 ordinance passed by City Council. (The prevailing wage is determined by a fairly complicated formula set forth in the legislation; currently, Scotland Yard guards working at homeless shelters earn roughly $16/hour with benefits.)
The new directive, for shelters to seek their own contracts with city money, means that the companies managing Philadelphia's shelters will potentially look for security companies that don't have a contract with the city — and whose guards don't necessarily have to be paid a prevailing wage.
Look for more updates soon — right here on The Clog.
