CLEARWATER, Fla. — For years, the Clearwater Neighborhood Family Center has been more than just an after-school program for families in the city’s North Greenwood neighborhood. It’s been a second home.
“When you become a parent, everybody tells you that it takes a village,” said parent Amber Nunez.
Clearwater Neighborhood Family Center is part of that village.
Watch report from Chad Mills
Her three children have grown up in the program, and they’ve been surrounded by staff who’ve become like family.
But now, that “village” is facing major change.
Last week, the Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB), a countywide special taxing district that strengthens the lives of Pinellas County children, voted to terminate the center’s contract by the end of the year.
The welfare board, which provides more than $800,000 in taxpayer dollars each year to the Clearwater Neighborhood Family Center, cited serious concerns about the organization’s management and finances.
In a report to its board, the JWB said nearly 60% of documents provided during a recent audit were “insufficient or incomplete.” The agency also cited ongoing leadership instability, including board resignations and missing meeting records, as reasons for ending its funding agreement.
Despite that decision, the JWB says the after-school and family programs will continue. The agency plans to transfer operations to the City of Clearwater and Mattie Williams Neighborhood Family Center, which already manages similar programs at the same recreation complex.
Still, that news is unsettling for families like Nunez’s and for longtime employees who worry about what the transition will mean.
“It feels like we’re getting punished for something we had nothing to do with,” said staff member Morgan Morris. “We are the heart of this community. We don’t want to go anywhere.”
Another staffer, R’neeshia Brown, said the job is about more than a paycheck.
“It’s just the relationship and the family connection I’ve built with this organization,” she said.
Parents say those relationships are what make the center special.
“When he’s here, he’s just more like, ‘Okay, I can be myself,’” said Gerald Thomas, whose 2nd-grade son is in the program. “These ladies are like family.”
JWB says current employees will have a chance to apply for positions with the city once the transition takes effect.
Former executive director Terry Jones, who was terminated by the nonprofit’s board in August, maintains that he was wrongfully let go and denies any misuse of funds. The current board president, Lisa Harris, says she supports JWB’s decision and hopes the transition will stabilize services for families.
Meanwhile, the nonprofit’s internal leadership remains in dispute. Current staff, including Morris, say they’ve turned a new leaf and removed the former leadership, including longtime board president Lisa Harris, whose name was recently taken off the center’s website.
“Everybody that had something to do with what was happening beforehand, they are no longer attached to this organization,” Morris said.
However, Harris insists she’s still the rightful board president and says she’s sent a letter firing the new director who tried to remove her. It’s a sign of the ongoing instability surrounding the nonprofit’s leadership.
Through it all, parents like Nunez are left waiting and hoping that whoever runs the program next will keep the caring staff who’ve become part of their children’s lives.
“This is the only place my daughter has known,” Nunez said. “She really loves the ladies here.”
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Chad Mills calls Polk County home and has witnessed the area’s growth firsthand. He keeps his eye on the City of Lakeland, our agriculture community, and helping you navigate everyday expenses. Use the form below to share your story ideas with Chad.
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