LETTERS: June 18, 2009

June 18, 2009 10:08 pm

— Reader believes Anderson and Haven House board have failed

Though I now live in Indianapolis, I was born in Jeffersonville and my mother and sister still live in Clarksville. I closely follow local happenings.
Since 1983, I have been a social worker in community practice — including serving the homeless — and also in providing nonprofit management and governance consulting. I, too, know about Barbara Anderson’s many years of dedicated advocacy. But, that is not enough.
Her actions and the board’s complete lack of responsibility for their fiduciary responsibilities have put in jeopardy the very people they have worked so long to help. The board is the legal corporate entity. It alone bears responsibility for safeguarding the organization and for fulfilling its legal obligations.
And, the board is totally responsible for the actions of the executive director, who reports to them. The board and its executive director have failed the homeless and the community. An immediate and complete house cleaning of board and executive staff is in order to restore the community’s trust and support of this important service to the growing number of homeless persons.
I would also note that in addition to the board’s other failings, according to the Indiana Secretary of State, Haven House was administratively dissolved as an Indiana corporation in June 2008. I have provided a link to the secretary of state’s Web site with this information: https://secure.in.gov/sos/bus_service/online_corps/view_details.aspx?guid=DF333ACD-8C41-4989-AF46-567ADE7ADFC5.
Kudos to The Evening News for taking a clear position in your pieces May 27. And thanks for the opportunity of letting me vent on this issue, which has greatly troubled me since I learned that payroll taxes were intentionally not paid and that the board took no public responsibility nor action to remedy Haven House’s ongoing problems.
— Joyce L. Ribble, MSW, Indianapolis

Remember importance of father-child relationships on Father’s Day

It’s so amazing to watch what happens between a father and his baby. If you slow down and really watch, you too can see amazing things. Dads really do know how to connect with their babies. The relationship that we dads establish with our babies from their very birth is very important, long-lasting and crucial to healthy development.
Research confirms that babies are born ready to experience the world through relationships. The way we interact with our babies — through our looks with each other, what we say, how we hold them — helps their brains develop so they can begin to take care of their basic needs. Research also shows that children who have fathers in their lives have reduced contact with the juvenile justice system, lower rates of divorce, are better at solving conflicts (without aggression), have higher grade completion in school and higher incomes, are better problem-solvers, and more empathetic and sensitive as adults.
On this Father’s Day, learn more about the importance of social and emotional development in early childhood with a visit to Web sites such as Zero to Three (zerotothree.org), National Association for the Education of Young Children (naeyc.org) and the Indiana Association for Infant & Toddler Mental Health (iaitmh.org).
— Stephan Viehweg, ACSW, LCSW, founding chair, Indiana Association for Infant and Toddler Mental Health; faculty, Riley Child Development Center, IU School of Medicine, Indianapolis