Ramsey County investigating alleged role of 2 directors in hotel homeless clinic

Ramsey County functionaries have opened an internal research after Brooklyn Center revoked the license of a hotel that was determined to have a recuperative care business run by county directors The Brooklyn Center city council in late June revoked the hotel Suburban Studio s license after city staff discovered a medicinal respite facility also known as recuperative care called Care Chexx serving homeless individuals was operating inside Ramsey County s housing stability director Keith Lattimore is co-founder of Care Chexx which began providing recuperative care services at the hotel in June under a management and operations agreement with the hotel Ramsey County s deputy director of housing stability Kimberly Cleminson is listed as a partner with Care Chexx Recuperative care provides clinical care and endorsement services to homeless individuals too ill to recover from a physical illness or injury while in a shelter or who are otherwise unhoused but not sick enough to need hospitalization Ramsey County is aware of the business Care Chexx LLC Ramsey County agents reported in a comment Wednesday In line with our commitment to transparency and accountability we instantly initiated an internal assessment in accordance with our established policies and procedures when we learned of a feasible county involvement with the business Lattimore and Cleminson did not respond to efforts seeking comment Brooklyn Center vote Brooklyn Center personnel concluded the facility s operation in the hotel violated the hotel s hospitality accommodation license and council members voted - at their June meeting that the hotel cease operations after days The only question for the city council was whether there had been a zoning violation and not the merits of the things they do and the mission explained council member Dan Jerzak during the meeting Care Chexx and BC Seva LLC the hotel s owner are appealing the city s decision according to Bryan Huntington the attorney representing them City bureaucrats first became aware of the recuperative care facility in late May when the Brooklyn Center fire department responded to a fire alarm call at Suburban Studios While at the hotel city executives observed activity that led them to believe the hotel was operating as something other than a hospitality accommodation Site inspection A site inspection of the hotel in early June revealed that a recuperative care facility was operating out of the hotel with full-time physiological staff such as nurses onsite and provided food facility They also learned that the owner of Suburban Studios had entered into a lease with Care Chexx According to Brooklyn Center staff under city code hospitality accommodation specifically excludes hospitals care facilities senior living centers residential remedy facilities prisons detention homes and similar facilities Based on their findings city staff concluded that Suburban Studios violated its hospitality accommodation license and zoning code by failing to go through a re-zoning process or use amendment A petition to the state Court of Appeals on behalf of Care Chexx and the hotel owners argues that the facility was no longer operating as a hotel Among the inaccuracies was the assertion that the Property no longer operated as a hotel instead operating solely as a recuperative care facility noted a petition to the state court of appeals filed on behalf of BC Seva and Care Chexx on Tuesday Petitioners representatives attended the City Council meeting on June and provided testimony correcting the City s erroneous understanding Despite there being no contrary evidence to Petitioners testimony a majority of the City Council nevertheless adopted staff s findings and the City approved a resolution based thereon Care Chexx is one of around recuperative care providers as of now enrolled with the Minnesota Department of Human Services Recuperative care is a new effort with minimal activity and providers are not licensed by the state but are required to meet specific enrollment requirements Care recipients must be referred to recuperative care services by a hospital or clinic Appeal to Brooklyn Center The Brooklyn Center city council will consider BC Seva and Care Chexx s request for a stay on the hotel s license revocation at their Monday meeting If the city does not grant a stay the court of appeals could grant one according to Huntington My clients will argue in court that the city s interpretation of its ordinances to categorically exclude recuperative care services for all hospitality operators throughout the city is contrary to state and federal law Huntington reported in an email State statute is clear that recuperative care services may be offered in any setting Hotels are a proper setting for these services The city s position is contrary to the established law and procedures of this state Since the city council s revocation of the hotel s license Care Chexx has furloughed around staff members including full-time and part-time staff and has begun relocating recuperative care recipients from the hotel Without immediate resolution the city s decision threatens continuity of care for vulnerable individuals and the hotel s operations according to Huntington Related Articles Ramsey County Rice St Arlington Ave intersection to close until July Sheriff Bob Fletcher critiques agency info-sharing after lawmaker shootings St Paul audio play series returning for second season and scavenger hunt Ramsey County hires new human guidance chief Layoffs hit UMN Extension food educators as MN grapples with Trump s budget