Vancouver police together with community services group Portland Hotel Society (PHS) are investigating an alleged incident of fraud involving a PHS client.
“PHS is conducting an internal investigation of the incident, and the VPD (Vancouver Police Department) is also conducting its own investigation,” PHS executive director Jennifer Breakspear said on Tuesday.
“We are co-operating fully with the VPD, and have provided them with evidence as requested. We are working closely with police to ensure the investigations are done properly, and concluded as expeditiously as possible,” said Breakspear.
“I am not at liberty to comment further on the specifics of this alleged incident until all investigations are concluded. However, we want to emphasize that there is nothing more important to PHS than the safety and security of the people we serve. Nothing is more important to us.”
It’s alleged that a PHS staff member took $15,000 from a bank account of a vulnerable member.
PHS is a non-profit organization that is supposed to provide housing, services and advocacy for the poor in the Downtown Eastside, and operates the Insite safe-injection site.
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