Clayton County on Wednesday launched an investigation into an Atlanta non-profit over its handling of $9 million in federal emergency rental assistance funds.
The county commission approved an audit of Africa’s Children’s Fund in response to complaints from Clayton residents that the organization was slow to distribute funds or could not be reached for help, even after repeated attempts.
“It is incumbent upon us as commissioners to be able to make the agencies (aware) ... that there have been questions,” said Commissioner Felicia Franklin, who introduced the resolution calling for the audit.
Clayton contracted with Africa’s Children’s Fund in 2021 to be the administrator of the county’s ERA funds, which are part of the federal government’s more than $46 billion rescue package to address home evictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Africa’s Children’s Fund is the second non-profit the board has audited over disbursement of funds after members called into question how Hearts to Nourish has handled housing assistance monies it distributes for the county.
Central to the question are the fees that Africa’s Children’s Fund charged for the work. The group received $400,000 — or 6.8% — of the emergency rental assistance funding.
Franklin also questioned whether Commission Chairman Jeff Turner should have recused himself from voting because of accusations that he is on the advisory board of the Africa’s Children’s Fund. But Turner said he is not on the board and that the listing of his name as such on the organization’s website was an error.
“Dr. Mbaba explained to everyone that that was in error or a mistake and there’s no documents ... board meeting minutes or anywhere else that has my name on it,” Turner said in reference to a response from Africa’s Children’s Fund CEO Victor Mbaba last week about the chairman’s association with the group.
Turner, who voted against the audit, is no longer listed on the organization’s website.
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