The Auditor General’s report into Horizons 106 has found that End Homelessness St. John’s has incurred some “unreasonable” costs while operating that facility. However, the organization says the amount spent was modest.
The AG’s full report was released on Tuesday.
It details that $6.4-million in grant payments were given to End Homelessness St. John’s between April 9, 2024 and December 31, 2025.
The report says the organization had “numerous expenses” for staff lunches and staff appreciation activities, which “appeared to be unreasonable in a public sector context.”
Executive Director of End Homelessness Doug Pawson says they have two staff appreciation lunches per year – at Christmas and in summer, plus one for departing social workers who are completing their work term.
He says the total was just under $2,700 which is 0.04 per cent of the overall budget.
“It’s minimal and we should have a larger discussion about how we show appreciation in our sector because we don;t have the resources that government has,” says Pawson.
