Resident urges investigation of shelter operations at RPC and oversight of Path Forward

Otto Washington, a public commenter, urged the Arlington County Board to investigate alleged mistreatment and weak oversight at the Residential Program Center (RPC), which he said is operated by Path Forward. Washington recounted personal experience of being dismissed from RPC after requesting assistance and alleged instances of donations intended for clients being taken, staff drug use, and inappropriate staff-client relationships.

"No single staff member should have the authority to dismiss a client from a shelter without proper review or oversight," Washington said, and asked the board to ensure the Department of Human Services is involved in addressing these issues and to implement stronger oversight and training of shelter staff to protect clients' safety and dignity.

Chair Carantonis acknowledged the testimony, apologized if the board had not previously responded, and said he had scheduled a visit to RPC in the coming weeks. The chair and staff referenced prior engagement with the shelter operator and offered to connect Washington with constituent services staff to continue dialogue. The board said it will follow up and invited Mr. Washington to meet with staff (Ms. Stephanie Bello) to continue the discussion.

The board's response indicated interest in learning more about the RPC conditions and the relationship between residents and shelter personnel; staff noted building condition concerns but emphasized client-treatment and oversight as primary issues raised by the commenter.