Did Jewels vacation in Vegas while stiffing a local landlord?
Posted 12 September 2023
On September 5, 2023 KHQ NonStopLocal reporter Guy Tannenbaum covered questions on “Jewels Helping Hands’” recent trip to Las Vegas and the use of taxpayer American Rescue Plan (ARPA) relief funds that the group received in two payments this year through sponsorship of city council member Betsy Wilkerson.
Tannenbaum reported on his discussion with “Jewels” executive director, Julie Garcia,
“Garcia said both the $45,000 they received last year and the $12,500 they received last week will go directly to covering the rest of their now-closed day center which they operated during the pandemic.”
The “Jewels” day center, located at 1819 E. Springfield in Spokane, opening was covered by The Spokesman-Review February 1, 2022. The article includes Garcia claiming (emphasis added),
“The center is paid for through donations to Jewels Helping Hands. It does not receive any government funding.” And, “The nonprofit signed a six-month lease to start. Garcia said its future would depend on how utilized and successful the center is.”
While Garcia claimed early last year that the day center didn’t receive any government funding, she has now stated that $57,500 in government funding will be used for previous expenses at the closed day center. It is our understanding that ARPA funds are available for reimbursement for funds that were paid during the pandemic. The government grants appear to require a representation, if not actual receipts, of money spent.
It is unclear when “Jewels” closed the day center, but what is clear is that there is a dispute with the property owner/landlord.
The Spokane Assessor’s website lists the owner of the Springfield property as “Noun LLC.” According to the WA Secretary of State’s website, one of the principals of the LLC is April Cathcart.
Jason Green, husband of Julie Garcia and financial officer of “Jewels Helping Hands” filed a harassment complaint in Spokane Courts against April Cathcart late last year. April Cathcart is said to have contacted Spokane City Council on numerous occasions, seeking help to receive rent and other money owed by “Jewels.”
As part of a court order in early February of this year, the property owner/landlord, April Cathcart, is not to contact third parties regarding disputes with Jason Green.
As recently as last night at the Spokane City Council meeting, council member Betsy Wilkerson continues to deflect questions about payments to “Jewels Helping Hands.” And yet, much like her defense of unpaid property taxes, stating, “It truly was one of those innocent ‘who’s on first’ kind of things that slipped through the cracks,” Wilkerson is unwilling to dig into the details.
Wilkerson has stated that many organizations have received ARPA funds along with “Jewels Helping Hands.” However, to our knowledge, none of those organizations took a vacation to Vegas shortly after being awarded the funding. And, none of those are claiming to have “helped the homeless in Las Vegas” without any substantiation.
Due to their questionable and controversial history, it is time for “Jewels” to produce a full accounting, to be verified by an independent source, their history of payments for the past two years. If they have been reimbursed for pandemic day center expenses, they must produce indisputable and verified evidence of those payments including full rent and other items that may still be owed to the property owners at their former Springfield address.