By Bruce Branch
Special to the AFRO
Miracle Hands Director Cornell Jones with District Mayor Adrian Fenty at ceremony celebrating D.C. Correctional Award for HIV-AIDS Program in September. (Courtesy Photo)
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(November 4, 2009) - Miracle Hands Community Development President Cornell Jones says a report in The Washington Post which accused his organization of misusing grant money from the D.C. Health Department AIDS Administration is “filled with inaccuracies, false and misleading statements.”
It was his first public comment since the publication of a series of stories that cast a negative light on one of the most successful programs for some of the District’s neediest residents were published Oct. 25, 26 and 31. Jones said his program headquartered in Ward 5 remains one of the most effective in the delivery of HIV/AIDS services to prison and poor populations despite a loss of funding that occurred when city officials began looking into his relationship with former DC Health Department AIDS Administration Director Debra Rowe.
During a television interview Oct. 30 on Channel 8, several callers expressed support for Jones and Miracle Hands. Others have cited the need for the city to continue funding at one of the program houses on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Southeast which is in danger of closing. Currently, volunteers are keeping the center open by soliciting donations of food and clothing for program participants.
“Cornell Jones and Miracle Hands have done a remarkable job helping ex-offenders,” said Eric Hood, who is seeking to start his own program after seeing Jones’ success. “Miracle Hands is a model program that has helped a lot of people down at the jail and on the streets. Because of his background, he can reach and touch people that often fall through the cracks and who don’t trust social workers to get the services they desperately need to not only survive, but to stay alive.”
Jones, whose exploits as a drug kingpin was chronicled on the Black Entertainment Televison (BET) “American Gangster” series, called himself “an easy target” because of his past. “I expected something like this to happen one day,” Jones said. “That’s why we have always dotted every ‘i’ and crossed every‘t’.
“I know people were expecting us to make a mistake. Instead, we developed one of the most comprehensive programs for poor HIV/AIDS residents in the city at a time when this community didn’t know how to deal with the challenges of homelessness facing HIV/AIDS populations. That’s why this is so disheartening. The people who are being hurt are the people who need the most help.”
Jones outlined some specifics about he and his organization:
*Never misappropriated funds and can account for all monies provided to the program. “The only time we stopped providing services is when our construction service was de-funded by the District,” Jones said. “The District of Columbia did that. We didn’t. Up until that time, the project moved along.”
*Never received grants improperly “under the table,” but only through the competitive bidding process. “We were doing things that no one else was doing,” Jones said. “We gave the District something they desperately needed and that was a program for HIV-infected ex-offenders. We provided them top value for their dollar.”
*Was cited by the mayor and the D.C. Jail for work in assisting with HIV/AIDS residents last month. The D.C. Jail was honored nationally for services provided by Miracle Hands to HIV/AIDS patients at the facility.
*Provide dozens of program participants with workforce services, including employment and life skills counseling. Others have been helped with permanent housing.
“This is an attempt to destroy our good work and our good name,” Jones said. “This investigation has been going on for two years, and if the FBI or other law enforcement officials had something on me, they would have arrested me. We serve hundreds of people each day, including more than 250 each day in our day program without funding. These are people that have nowhere else to go. In a lot a places, a program like Miracle Hands would be commended, but here in the District where there are so many political agendas, we are condemned.“
He added, “This also is a direct attack on Ms. Rowe, who is caught up in the political game and should be protected as a whistleblower. We are looking forward to the D.C. City Council holding an oversight hearing and we have requested Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes-Norton look into this matter as well.”
Miracle Hands Program Director Denette Williams called the reports in the newspaper “disturbing.” Williams said the reports failed to mention much of the success that the Miracle Hands program has enjoyed over the years.
“If I was a taxpayer and read that report I would have been very concerned,” said Williams. “Our main goal in going public is not to refute what was in the Post, but to let everyone know that our program remains viable despite the cuts in funding and attempts to curtail our outreach efforts. We continue to provide a high level of service despite the many financial challenges we face. We are committed to providing service to the HIV/AIDS population in low-income areas. We are committed to helping ex-offenders. We are committed to making sure the people we serve have jobs, food, clothing and shelter.”
Alonzo “Ice” Lee, 38, said Miracle Hands saved his life.
“They found me a place to live when I had nowhere to go,” Lee said. “Miracle Hands is a good program to come to because of the family atmosphere.”
Ronald Brown, an ex-offender from Southeast, said if it were not for Miracle Hands he would have gone back to the streets and a life of crime. As it is now, he holds a job and his outlook on life is much better.
“They really helped me when I needed it,” Brown said. “Right now everyone is down on Cornell and down on the program, but this is the type of program that the city needs. I know I speak for a lot of people. This city needs Miracle Hands and Cornell Jones. They know how to help people turn their lives around.”