Former Lighthouse staff say troubles go beyond misuse of money, clients are paying the price

Amid revelations that the head of the Lighthouse Supported Living Inc. was using shelter funds for personal loans, former employees are speaking out with concerns about the organization's ability to serve some of the community's most vulnerable people under its new leadership.

In January, executive director Don Windels was put on leave. Two existing board members — board president and chair Jerome Hepfner, and board vice-president Twila Reddekopp — assumed leadership in Windels's absence.

Less than a month later, Hepfner and Reddekopp fired five managers without cause. Since then, several other employees have been fired without cause, while others have quit.

CBC News spoke to eight former managers and employees. Most asked to remain anonymous due to fear of backlash and concerns about future employment opportunities.

They [clients and residents] are not comfortable. They feel that it isn't home anymore. It is a much more antagonistic place to be.- former Lighthouse employee

They are worried that staff equipped to deal with clients' complex needs are gone, putting services at risk.

"Our main concern still is with the residents," said Melissa Smith, former Lighthouse director of advancement and associate executive director. 

"All of us that have left are very concerned about what's happening inside of the building with the residents, as more and more professional individuals are either leaving or being asked to leave."

Experienced staff gone

People who were fired or quit since the board takeover include:

• The director of client services.
• A case manager supporting permanent tenants.
• A registered psychiatric nurse that worked with people with high intense needs. 
• A nurse practitioner who worked at the health clinic.
• A worker that supported people with intellectual disabilities.
• An addictions counsellor.

Many positions remain unfilled. 

Former employees say clients and residents have reached out to them to say they are "quite upset" because they had good relationships with the departed staff.

"They [clients and residents] are not comfortable. They feel that it isn't home anymore. It is a much more antagonistic place to be," said one former employee.

Hepfner, the current board president and chair, said the Lighthouse has been working with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) over the last few months to hire staff. Hepfner did not specify what kind of expertise the Lighthouse has hired or plans to hire, despite being asked repeatedly. 

"The staff that we have in place have been reviewed with Sask Health, and they have every confidence in the staff that we have in place," Hepfner said in an interview.

The leadership and staffing situation has prompted the Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service (SCIS) to remove itself from the managed alcohol program at the Lighthouse.

"Once the current leadership and staffing situation at the Lighthouse is resolved, we hope to regain confidence in resuming more formal partnerships to serve Saskatoon's citizens in need," wrote SCIS executive director Rita Field.

Hepfner said the SHA — the other partner in the program — will work to keep the program going.

LISTEN | New information on controversial financial dealings at Saskatoon's Lighthouse

Security versus trauma-informed care

Former staff say Hepfner and Reddekopp lack understanding of the nuances and intricacies of the Lighthouse, and what it means to support vulnerable people. 

Hepfner has an IT background and currently does consulting for a food processing company. Reddekopp owns a publishing company.

Former managers say the leadership is taking a more security-focused approach to issues at the Lighthouse, rather than a trauma-informed one.

They say before they were fired, they were working on implementing trauma-informed care throughout all programs and services.

They were also working to bring on a security company they say would provide trauma-sensitive security. 

"It was really important to us that we aren't just saying, 'OK, if you have aggressive or violent tendencies, you don't deserve housing or you don't deserve care,'" said one former manager.

"Because we know that when individuals have experienced trauma, many times that means that their coping mechanisms are going to be, to the average person, very inappropriate."

A different security firm was hired.

Hepfner said guards have had to escort people out of the shelter in handcuffs, but insisted those people were not Lighthouse clients.

"There are situations that require proper escalation of enforcement to remove them from the property," Hepfner said.

"They're not part of our clients. And so therefore, we are enforcing our mandate that they don't belong in the building."

Former staff say the risk of clients being out on the streets is a real concern.

"This might mean more pressure on police services. It might mean other organizations in the city like the Salvation Army and the Wellness Centre might be experiencing a higher call for their services because the Lighthouse is taking a bit of a firmer stance," Smith said.

"I'm really concerned that people will end up in police cells or emergency departments when they will be best served in a community centre like the Lighthouse."

Hepfner insisted the Lighthouse is "taking a very client-centred approach."

Hepfner's involvement in Don Windels's controversial dealings

Court documents show Hepfner played a role in a controversial house purchase involving executive director Don Windels. 

Hepfner has been on the board since 2004 and has been president since 2016. 

Windels asked the Lighthouse for a loan in 2017 so he could buy a house for his recently divorced daughter. Instead, the Lighthouse itself bought the property for $60,000. 

A judge found that Windels "had sole and exclusive possession" of the house for the entire time it was owned by the Lighthouse. The deal was approved by the Lighthouse board in a closed-door meeting.

Hepfner and former Lighthouse president Pierre Trudel were identified in evidence as being at that meeting. 

At the end of 2020, the Lighthouse transferred the house to Windels and his wife Bonnie. The transfer authorization was signed by Windels and Hepfner, court documents show.

Other than Hepfner's signature, "there is no evidence as to how, when or to what extent Don Windels advised anyone at the Lighthouse of that transaction … let alone having consulted with the Board or obtaining Board approval," Justice Gerecke wrote.

Gerecke ordered Windels's immediate removal as head of the organization. Windels's appeal of that decision is still being reviewed by the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal.

Asked if he bears any responsibility for what happened, Hepfner said the governance issues developed over many years.

"The board and execs all share responsibility in what has happened in the past, and we're working to make those changes going forward," Hepfner said.

"The bottom line boils down to working very closely with our funders, the community, in as open and transparent a way as possible."

Hepfner declined to comment on whether donations to the Lighthouse have dropped since the revelations in recent months. The Lighthouse hasn't publicly released an annual report since 2019. 

The Ministry of Social Services says it continues to closely monitor the situation at the Lighthouse. The ministry has short-term contracts with the organization totalling $1.04 million. 

"The ministry is working directly with the organization to ensure services to vulnerable clients continue, and that those services meet the requirements of the contract," wrote Chad Ryan, acting executive director of income assistance service delivery with the ministry.

Former staff say they hope the Lighthouse can continue to provide programs and services that fill gaps in the community.

"I would hate to see that kind of support dry up for the Lighthouse," Smith said.

"All of the folks that have moved on from the Lighthouse still think about and hold the residents in our hearts. And we're really hoping that they're able to get the support that they need, whether it's at the Lighthouse or somewhere else."