By FRANCISCO E. JIMENEZ
Staff Writer
reporter@sbnewspaper.com
Renovations currently ongoing at the old Dolly Vinsant Memorial Hospital, the future site of a Southwest Key Programs shelter, has produced an influx of business for local establishments. (Staff photo)
As the former Dolly Vinsant Memorial Hospital is currently undergoing renovations for Southwest Key Programs, a non-profit organization which will provide shelter for unaccompanied minors entering the United States, local businesses in San Benito may be reaping the benefits.
The shelter will create approximately 23 new jobs, not including those of the crews currently renovating the old hospital building. With the influx of jobs into that area of the community, local businesses are seeing an influx of business to their establishments as well.
When asked about whether or not his business had seen an increase in business since renovations began at Dolly Vinsant, Adolfo Toriz, owner of SB Wings, said “definitely.”
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Finally we get some good news for our abused town, the Housing Director has resigned. That’s great news, I hope the mayor and commissioners select an EDUCATED EXPERIENCED INDIVIDUAL to run the housing.. Enough of the compadre method which puts a financial burden to our tax dollars. Finally we see the light, the Puppet is gone and is someone else’s problem now!!! Now it’s time to expose what was going on years with puppet at the helm.. Show and tell time !!!!
#jan and #denise
I see the Tea-GOP Party propaganda machine has begun its pre-election faux-rage again.
While I agree that SOME (SWK and IES) of these organizations are a financial drain on grant monies for many years. However, the humanitarian crisis is over and you can stop this faux rage.
What proof can you provide that the Baptist Organization is receiving government grant money?
ARE YOU KIDDING??? Forget SWK and IES…they are small potatoes compared to The Catholic Charities and the Baptist organization. They are always FIRST IN LINE for those good gub’ment monies! If you are looking for some REAL THUGS sucking off the Federal teat, they are the REAL culprits. Their tentacles are like the Mafia!!
Again, I am looking for REAL DOCUMENTED HERE IT IS PROOF, not an opinion or allegation. We all have those!
Oh the benefits we have seen in Conroe from our Southwest key facility – escaped teens running across the lawns of the neighborhood it surrounds, kids observed outside with hospital masks on, lies lies told to city officials, security guards chasing any cars who stop by and take pictures. Oh and lets not forget their contribution of pipelining illegal alien UACS to cities and states that dont want them!
Southwest Key is one of the biggest drains of federal grant monies out there. They have found the loopholes to create a grand income for themselves by harboring illegal aliens (who they don’t keep up with very well after they are released from their custody). As an AMERICAN citizen, I am sick and tired of paying for these illegals to be brought here, housed, and given all the benefits of social welfare. I am even more tired of seeing companies like SWK, International Education Services, Catholic Charities, and the Baptist church taking FEDERAL FUNDS to break our laws of immigration. Bottom line is this: these companies are circumventing the Constitution where it comes to immigration and Washington DC is allowing it to happen. WE THE PEOPLE are paying for this to happen, so if you want it to stop, FIRE YOUR POLITICIANS by way of RECALL!
The Southwest Key program hasn’t found any ‘loopholes’. They are a legitimate nonprofit agency with a contract to provide these services. They don’t make the rules. They have a contract with the Feds, period.
The Southwest Key also provides several hundred jobs for people in Cameron County.
Your words are silly with misinformation and hysteria.
Really? I have done my research on this company and its Board of Directors. They are closely tied to La Raza, have taken MILLIONS of dollars via federal grant monies and are about as “transparent” as our government. Sure, they have a slick website, but try to get any non-identifying information from them. Listen to them lie when these UACs run away from a facility and jump your fence and hide behind your bushes.
“Get Serious” is probably Cindy Casares (their PR person)…hey…how ya doing?
SOUTHWEST KEY PROGRAMS is in the business of making HUGE amounts of money via federal tax dollars and they are not the only ones. The list is growing day by day of churches violating the separation of church and state, and companies directly tied to radical groups like La Raza. There is much more, but I have my own venue for those facts.
The San Benito News is an EXCELLENT venue for you to publish your so-called “FACTS”.
Otherwise, you are just a right-wing extremist TParty internet troll.
How ya doing?
Give me a break! The REAL Federal MONEY HOGS and poverty pimps are Catholic Charities and the Baptist Church…as they hide behind their religion!!
Take a look at who runs the PRISON SYSTEMS! La Raza gets peanuts!
http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/27275-confidence-men-and-prison-reform
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30510.htm
Please show me the proof where the Catholic Charities and the Baptist Church “Federal Money”!
In fact, more than $1.5 billion in TAXPAYER dollars went to Catholic organizations over the past two years.
That was pretty easy! Now sit down and shut up!
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=7587
http://www.networklobby.org/news-media/federal-funding-catholic-organizations
http://wdtprs.com/blog/2013/07/tax-reform-usccb-catholic-charities-usa/
As a pioneer in the field of setting up shelters locally, nationally and internationally, I can assure you that the shelters are for children that are under the age of eighteen, are place in the shelter by Homeland Security and the program is under the auspices of the Office of Refugee and Resettlement program of the United States. In every instance when we set up the shelters first in Los Fresnos, second in Raymondville and then in Palmview, the community was concerned with overflowing children and delinquent kids in the streets. After six months of operation the community accepted the shelter and even participated in bringing church groups to mingle with the children. These are children. Most of these children’s only crime is leaving home to try to live a better live with one of their relatives in the United States. The majority are good children that you would love to have in your homes. If you visit one of these shelters, you would see the anxiety of good kids waiting to be transported to a part of the country they have never seen. You would learn of the difficulties experienced before being apprehended by Homeland Security. If you can empathize, if you can say “But for the Grace of God there go I”, then you would be glad to have a shelter in your community that treats them as children and not as criminals. I set up shelters in Cuba and helped in California, and Panama. Please don’t rush to judgement. The majority are good kids and with over 200 kids in San Benito, the SWKey had to hire well over 23 people.
And Justice for All, we are not attacking the children in the care of SWKey here in our community. I do empathize and sympathize with these children and adults who come here looking for a better life only to endure institutionalization or worse. They risk much and, in some cases all, for the hope of having what we take for granted daily. When I drive by Dolly each day, it makes me feel good to see her alive once more. SWKey has done a great job as the premises are well cared for, neat and orderly. I am grateful to them for breathing new life into old Dolly.
Please understand, it is not their presence in our community under attack. It is not their mission being questioned or the importance of their work minimized. Simply, we were questioning their promise to add 23 new jobs for San Benito residents. Personally, I would have asked that question of any entity that took over that facility and promised to create X amount of jobs. It’s good that you pointed out their value to children and the community, but we were not attacking them. Hope you see the difference.
Not once did I mention a conspiracy theory. I was questioning if indeed 23 new employees were hired, and if any were from San Benito.
Maybe the word mischievous is defined as conspiracy in your book, not in mine.
I know several local restaurants and stores are very happy about the Dolly being open since their workers at shop, eat and buy gas here, (regardless of where they live).
I don’t believe their relocation here was a big secret either. The company is legitimate and wanted to locate at the Dolly. They put up the money and leased the property; since the property is privately owned it was a private transaction. So, where is the big mystery? I don’t believe the City was hiding anything. Look what I found online:
Southwest Key
http://www.swkey.org/
So much for conspiracy theories at the Dolly. Now try looking at the airport. That one may be a different story.
My mentioning this was only in relation to job creation promised vs. actual gained for SB residents. It’s easy for a company to claim it will create jobs in the community but what’s reality? There is no denying that any company bringing in employees, no matter where they live, will have a much needed positive affect on local business. But are they fulfilling SB residents’ expectations and their own promise of job creation for SB residents? That’s all I wanted to explore.
Sorry RSB and Leo. I didn’t notice the date on some of the comments. I was really responding more to the comment made by Juan, back in May. To be clear, there were no ‘secret’s’ as he eluded to and Southwest Key made this deal on their own without the help of the City, without the help of Tommy Ramirez (of Juvenile Probation / BG Club…although he tried to take credit for it in the media), and without the help of the San Benito EDC. The deal was purely a business decision by the people at SWK and the property owners. We should thank them…they put money into the local economy while getting rid of an eyesore.
I wholeheartedly agree with the comments made by RSB on another post regarding the jobs that were promised at this Detention Center. City and shelter officials had communicated that 23 new jobs would be created. As RSB points out, the parking lot is always overflowing with vehicles, but was anyone from San Benito hired? I have inquired about this with many friends and relatives, but everyone shrugs their shoulders.
An update on this mischievous facility is in order.
“Presence Felt”,yeah just wait, the city and area will feel their presence,when it gets filled up,and is over running with kids,with time on their hands.The full affects on the employment picture of San Benito,have yet to be felt,just wait; more police,more social workers,more first responders,all the really good jobs.
Somebody needs to really investigate who,Southwest Key Programs,is,and explain the secretive way this whole deal was brought into the community.The hiding,by city leaders,since its inception.If it’s like the majority of the other city projects,we will see its demise within the first ninety days,and the city,will be left holding the bag,with only the top management enjoying the spoils of the system.
And dont forget all the crime done in this city will be one of these kids at the new center