Our mission is to connect our community, promote healing and dare to dream of a truer, braver future for Hope & Home.
You may have read
The Gazette Article or
heard conversations about issues at Hope & Home.
WE CARE DEEPLY
ABOUT THE WELL-BEING OF
HOPE & HOME, CHILDREN, AND FAMLIES IN OUR COMMUNITY.
The scope is well beyond what one news article
or social media posts can accuratEly cover.
this website was made
to better explain
the situation and
clarify the context.
You may have read The Gazette Article or heard
conversations about issues at Hope & Home, foster care child placement agency based in Colorado springs, CO.
WE CARE DEEPLY ABOUT THE WELL-BEING OF HOPE & HOME,
foster CHILDREN AND FAMiLIES IN OUR COMMUNITY.
The scope is well beyond what one news article
or social media posts can accuratEly cover.
this website was made to better explain
the situation and clarify the context.
At an agency charged with caring for the most vulnerable:
"ross [wright] and Jacquelyn [thurman-wright] created and fostered an unhealthy, harmful and cult-like work environment..."
- former Hope & Home Employee
At an agency charged
with caring for
the most vulnerable:
"ROSS [WRIGHT] AND JACQUELYN [THURMAN-WRIGHT] CREATED AND FOSTERED AN UNHEALTHY, HARMFUL AND CULT-LIKE WORK ENVIRONMENT..."
- FORMER HOPE & HOME EMPLOYEE
Judge presiding over the Hope & Home lawsuit ruled on partial motion to dismiss:
1. Allegations concerning other employees. "The Court will consider Plaintiff’s allegations concerning other employees in evaluating the sufficiency of her Title VII hostile work environment claims."
2. Disparate Treatment. Ms. Ballage claims paychecks were withheld after maternity leave. Hope & Home denied withholding paychecks, but did "not address Plaintiff’s disparate treatment claims, at all." The court finds that those claims should PROCEED.
3. Sexually hostile work environment. "The Court finds that Plaintiff has alleged sufficient facts to support a finding or inference of either severe or pervasive sexual harassment." Hope & Home's request to dismiss is DENIED.
"The Court also finds that Plaintiff has adequately alleged a claim for constructive
discharge resulting from a sexually hostile work environment."
4. Racially Hostile Work Environment. "While a close call, the Court finds that these allegations... are enough to state a plausible claim... particularly given that Plaintiff alleges more than one protected trait. "Hope & Home's motion to dismiss is DENIED.
5. The Title VII Retaliation Claims. Ms. Ballage did not provide sufficient allegations to show that she reported discrimination while employed. Plaintiff’s Title VII retaliation claims are DISMISSED for failure to state a claim.
6. Disability discrimination. Hope & Home provided no argument for the dismissal of these claims. Remaining disability claims PROCEED.
OVERVIEW OF RECENT EVENTS
• Derogatory and degrading talk about former employees
• Rambling about things of a sexual nature in one-on-one conversations with staff
• Intimidating staff and manipulating the Board to eliminate an honest evaluation of his performance
• Threatening former employees with negative references and threatening current employees with firing for not maintaining strict loyalty to himself
After experiencing several instances of sexual harassment by Executive Director, Ross Wright, two employees reported the behavior to Wendy Neal, the Director of Finance. Due to lack of existing policies or procedures, and given her senior leadership position, Mrs. Neal informed the Hope & Home Board of Directors of these reports (view the full letter HERE) in addition to actions she personally witnessed or had been informed of by other employees:
August 2019
The Hope & Home Board of Directors hired an independent, private investigator through Employers Council to investigate these allegations.
September 2019
The Hope & Home Board received the report from the Private Investigator detailing experiences of 5 employees and 1 foster parent. No significant action was taken. The only female board member, Marla Brown, resigned over their inaction. Mrs. Brown served Hope & Home for 11 years. She had been a foster parent and was serving as a support group leader upon her resignation.
The Board required Mr. Wright to attend "Sensitivity Training" according to Dick Shultz, current Board Chairman. Hope & Home canceled their membership with Employers Council.
October 2019
• Sexual harassment perpetrated by Mr. Wright
• Discriminatory hiring practices and nepotism
• Lack of accountability and oversight
• Hostile work environment fostered by Mr. Wright and Mrs. Thurman-Wright
• Questionable financial practices
16 former employees and 4 foster parents submitted over 100 pages of documents, statements and evidence to the Child Protection Ombudsman and Colorado Department of Human Services with the following allegations:
March 2020
3 former employees filed claims with the Equal Employment Office Commission (EEOC).
February 2021, the EEOC declined to proceed further with its investigations nor make a determination on the merits of the claims. This notice gave these women the right to sue.
April 2020
Olivia Ballage filed a lawsuit alleging Mr. Wright engaged in discrimination based on sex, race and disability. (See updates on lawsuit HERE)
Hope & Home leadership emailed Foster Families about the Gazette publishing an article about the lawsuit, stating: "... the primary purpose of the newspaper is to sell newspapers – not to get the story right. Oftentimes, this means putting a salacious or dramatic spin on the story to make it more marketable." View the email HERE.
The Gazette published the story "Foster care agency contests claims of sexual harassment."
May 2021
Mr. Shultz wrote an email to Foster Families to further explain the article, stating: "After evaluating the investigative report and subsequently receiving overwhelmingly positive statements from our current Management Team, made up entirely of women who continue to be passionately and totally behind Hope & Home’s current Executive Director, Ross Wright, the Board of Directors made the decision to confirm our trust in our current Management Team and our Executive Director, Ross Wright." View the email HERE.
Jason Ball resigned from the Hope & Home Board.
Jacque Thurman-Wright, Hope & Home Deputy Director, took an extended leave of absence.
Throughout the month of June, various staff attended Foster Parent Support Groups to talk about the Gazette article. In one support group, Marian Percy, H&H Director of Home Supervision, explained Mrs. Ballage had dress code issues and couldn't do her paperwork. (Click FAQ "How many directly women experienced sexual harassment" for the direct quote.) Mrs. Percy explained they will engage a, "HR company so that people don't feel uncomfortable... we are moving forward with a handbook... we want our employees to feel safe... we are doing training with our staff... sexual harassment training, so that is something that I really believe that we need to do."
June 2021
A petition with an initial 135 signatures supporting the immediate resignation of Mr. Wright and Mrs. Thurman-Wright and 25 personal statements or letters were mailed to board members Dick Shultz, Keith Cross, Dr. George Creswell, Jason Ball and Paul Darby. (Click FAQ "Who is on the Hope & Home Board?" for more information.)
July 2021
August 2022
We have exhausted every formal and legal process up to this point.
This is only part of the story:
for A decade Now, people have left Hope & Home
feeling isolated and alone.
this is mind blowing,
identity crushing
& makes us ASK THE question:
are we more interested in maintaining
we are a gRoup asking and searching for a
we don't have all the answers and
we need your help
better Hope & Home
or SEARCHING FOR
our comfort & the status quo
A better way?
