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Keystone Mission closure prompts calls for forensic audit of ARPA funds and questions about homeless services
Summary
A public commenter urged Scranton council to demand itemized records and a forensic audit after Keystone Mission — an ARPA recipient — announced it will close local operations, and raised concerns about capacity for people formerly served by the mission.
A Scranton resident asked the city council on June 17 to demand a forensic audit and certified, itemized documentation after Keystone Mission announced it would close its Scranton operations. The commenter said Keystone Mission received American Rescue Plan Act funding from the city and that local services will be disrupted.
Virgil Argenta told the council that Keystone Mission “received at least $50,000 from the city — $43,500 to be exact” and said Wilkes-Barre provided $325,000. He asked the council to request certified accounting showing how city ARPA funds were spent, followed by a forensic audit if necessary, and warned that the city should prepare for a potential influx of people who relied on daily services previously offered by Keystone Mission.
Argenta also asked how city-supported services such as Weston Field facilities and clothing-washing services will be replaced, and criticized what he called “fabricated nonprofit organizations” that receive public funds. He urged the council to investigate nonprofit recipients of city funds and to seek “full accountability and transparency.”
Argenta provided counts of nearby low-income housing to illustrate concentrated demand in parts of the city, saying the Upper South Side neighborhood already contains about 700 units in several complexes and listing multiple developments downtown and elsewhere. He urged council to consider whether the police department is adequately staffed to support public safety in areas with concentrated affordable housing.
Council members acknowledged the comment. No formal audit request or resolution was made on the floor during the meeting; Argenta asked the council to pursue document production and a forensic audit as a follow-up matter for administration and council review.
