Last night, the Escambia Children’s Trust’s executive director explained to her board of directors why she suspended funding to New World Believers’ H.O.O.P.S. (Healthy Opportunities and Options Promoting Success) mental health program, citing a Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) investigation, background screening violations, and the abrupt departure of founder Rodney Jones.
- The suspension, which is not a termination, halts payments while the organization addresses multiple compliance issues and while DJJ completes its investigation into the youth program.
The Timeline: From Leadership Change to Investigation
Executive Director Lindsey Cannon told the board that ECT received notification on January 5 “that there was a change in leadership at New World Believers, which was a material change.”
- The situation escalated quickly. Between that initial notification and a scheduled Monday meeting with the organization’s new leadership, Cannon said ECT “also received notification that Department of Juvenile Justice was conducting an investigation related to the NWB Hoops program, which is the program that we fund and that Mr. Rodney Jones, who has been their executive director, was no longer on staff and could not participate at their organization.”
The DJJ investigation triggered immediate child safety concerns. “When you have an organization coming in like that and doing an investigation, we were not given any other information related to the safety of those children that are there,” Cannon explained. “We were not given any notice specifically by DJJ directly letting us know that our children were safe.”
Child Safety First
Cannon consulted with ECT’s legal counsel and made the decision to suspend the contract. “When we look at this from a legal perspective, our first job here is to protect children,” she told the board. “And if I can’t 100% say to you all that these kids are safe and there’s no safety risk to them, then I think we did the right thing by just taking a pause.”
- She emphasized the suspension’s limited scope: “We haven’t canceled their contract. We are going to pay them up until the day of their suspension.”
Drawing on her experience, Cannon provided context for the urgency: “I’ve worked in child welfare for 25 years, and I’m going to tell you if there’s an investigation going on at a foster home, they remove the kids from that situation. If there’s something going on in a daycare, they remove the kids from that situation.”
Multiple Contract Breaches Discovered
While the DJJ investigation prompted the initial suspension, ECT’s review uncovered additional compliance problems.
- “I will tell you there is a breach of contract related to background screenings that we’ve discovered through this process,” Cannon told Commissioner Lumon May when he asked if there was tangible evidence warranting suspension.
Board Attorney Megan Fry outlined the legal framework: “According to the current agreement, the board’s sole and absolute discretion to suspend payment under the grant in the event of a breach or non-compliance.”
Fry detailed multiple potential breaches, including:
- Failure to comply with background screening requirements
- Failure to provide services outlined in the scope of work
- Failure to maintain or furnish certificates of insurance
- Potential failure to comply with child abuse and incident reporting requirements
“I think it’s fair to say we don’t yet know if that occurred or did not occur, but the background screening has become the immediate issue,” Fry said.
Administrative and Structural Concerns
Beyond the immediate safety and compliance issues, ECT identified significant organizational problems at New World Believers.
- “Their contracts need to be updated, their board needs to be updated,” Cannon said. “We weren’t sure their Sunbiz that as their legal registration was not matching their board structure. There were some administrative things that I guess had been in Rodney Jones’ wheelhouse that he was managing that was now being pushed to the new staff.”
The scope of Jones’s role in the organization became a critical concern. Board Chair Dr. Rex Northup noted that “a tremendous amount of the scope of the contract, true gist of the contract was related to Rodney, his credentialing, his involvement with this entire organization.”
- Background: Jones is a licensed mental health counselor, a credential that was written into the organization’s contract with ECT. His inability to participate in the organization due to the DJJ investigation raised questions about service delivery.
“Rodney is the only person that we’ve ever dealt with at that organization related to finances, related to policies, related to HR, all of that,” Cannon said.
Commissioner May Seeks Clarity
County Commissioner Lumon May, an ECT board member, pressed for precise explanations of the suspension grounds, noting the organization’s visibility in the community and the need for clear public communication.
- “I just want to be very clear and concise about the reason of this suspension,” May said. “This is a pretty visible organization with leadership that’s active in community. And so I want to make sure that we’re able to say this is why it’s been suspended.”
Through a series of questions, May established that the suspension rested on three primary grounds: the DJJ investigation raising child safety concerns, the material change in operational control, and the background screening violations.
- Fry confirmed: “The notice of the DJJ investigation was the immediate cause for the suspension because your contracts state that child welfare and safety is a first and foremost of concern to the board in its sole and absolute discretion.”
May emphasized the importance of clarity for participants who depend on the program’s services: “Those people who are dependent on those services… we should communicate to them, it’s our responsibility that we’re funding to those citizens that we represent. This is why you are not going to where you’re going because we made this decision, not based on anything that you’ve done, based on some procedural things or material things that has not to do with the participants who are engaging in those services.”
Services Continue Without ECT Funding
Despite the suspension, New World Believers indicated it would continue serving program participants.
- “The commitment from the H.O.O.P.S. team that’s in place right now is that they said they were going to continue to serve the kids that were in their care at this point,” Cannon reported.
Cannon acknowledged the difficulty of running the program without ECT funding: “I know this is a very challenging time. You know that’s a family organization, and so we’ll be as cooperative as we can with whatever the future holds with this.”
What Happens Next
ECT is waiting for New World Believers to complete a follow-up meeting with DJJ this week and to provide various requested documents, including:
- Updated background screenings
- Documentation of the leadership change and new organizational structure
- Updated contracts and board information
- Certificates of insurance
The suspension remains in effect pending completion of the DJJ investigation and resolution of the compliance issues to ECT’s satisfaction.
Annual Report
The ECT staff has released its 2024-25 annual report, which includes a section on NWB HOOPS. Read 2024_25-NWB Annual Report.
The nonprofit received $427,868.85 for the year and served 160 kids. The report lists its 24/25 Performance Metrics:
Goal 1: Improve Participants’ Emotional Regulation and Anger Management Skills.
Objective 1.1 – Increase emotional regulation skills by providing anger management strategies.
- 82% demonstrated improved coping strategies.
- 76% increased emotional intelligence and self-regulation.
Goal 2: Mentoring: Foster Personal Growth and Self-Esteem Among Participants.
Objective 2.1 – Boost self-esteem through positive reinforcement and skill development.
- 79% improved self-esteem.
- 71% showed academic improvement or increased school engagement.
- Families reported stronger positive behavior and emotional stability.
Goal 3: Equip participants with essential life and employability skills.
Objective 3.1 – Increase understanding of essential life and employability skills.
- 100% completed a creative/technical project.
- 88% demonstrated measurable growth in technical skills.
- 50 youth became more knowledgeable regarding gainful employment & work base opportunities.
- 87% reported increased confidence in workforce skills.
- 74% improved budgeting and saving behaviors.
Goal 4: Increase Physical and Mental Health Awareness.
Objective 4.1 – Encourage participants to adopt healthy lifestyle choices.
- 92% successfully connected to at least one needed community resource, improving stability in school, home, social environment, and mental health.
- 63% resolved or positively advanced their legal challenges.