LARGO, Md. — Prince George’s County officials are investigating reports that a nonprofit women’s shelter that serves victims of domestic violence has operated without heat, has evidence of mold and vermin, and has offered spoiled food to clients.
The conditions were reported earlier this week at the 55-bed facility run by the Family Crisis Center, a nonprofit with a $385,000 contract with the county as well as state funding.
At the unveiling of the new Prince George’s County government administration building, State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks, who has made fighting domestic violence a priority as a prosecutor, said she was “heartbroken” by the reports, and called it “disgraceful” that women fleeing their abusers should have to live in substandard conditions. “We want people to leave [abusive situations] in dignity,” she said.
Alsobrooks, who is a Democratic candidate for county executive, said there is a shortage of housing for victims of domestic violence in the county. “We don’t have adequate opportunities for families to leave. We don’t have enough solutions, and we’d better go find some quickly.”
The Family Crisis Center’s Facebook page says that the organization is investigating the reported complaints. The center denies claims that the shelter has gone without heat, and says that their initial lack of comment stems from an approach of “prudence, not avoidance.”
