Allegations raised about work environment at CAPSTJOE

Some of the troublesome complaints shared with News-Press NOW date back a couple of years, and others involve recent allegations against CAPSTJOE and Executive Director Whitney Lanning.

Lanning, who did not comment for this story, is currently a candidate for mayor of St. Joseph.

Antonette DuPree of MAB Law KC, LLC is representing two former CAP employees who are seeking to file suits against the agency. Although she declined interview requests for herself and on behalf of her clients, she sent a statement to News-Press NOW regarding their cases.

“Normally, I would elect not to comment, but my clients believe under the current circumstances, the people of St. Joseph have a right to know who they may be getting ready to elect to the highest office in the city.”

DuPree said that while she could not comment further regarding the specific claims of the two ex-employees she is working with, she is aware of other previous allegations involving CAP and Lanning that have similarities to the cases she currently is involved in. She did stress that those previous cases were not “prosecuted to completion and thus remain only allegations at this stage.”

The older and more recent allegations include discrimination based on race and wrongful termination.

In response to the allegations involving the agency and its leader, the CAPSTJOE Board of Directors said in a statement to News-Press NOW that the organization, “does not discuss or disclose confidential personnel matters regarding past or current employees.”

However, the board statement continues, “Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph takes allegations of discrimination and toxic work environment seriously. The organization’s commitment is evident not only from the work the organization does in the community but in the organization’s efforts of diversity and inclusion for employees.”

One of the previous charges against CAP was filed by Sherry Webb in 2019.

Webb worked in customer service and then as a Low Income Housing and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) intake specialist at CAP. She received an internal award in April of 2018 for her customer service. But just a few months later, she was let go.

In late 2021, Webb said she received a message from a former CAP employee who had resigned from an HR position.

“I knew I was wrongfully terminated anyways, but she told me that they knew two months before that they wanted to get rid of me and she was really sorry,” Webb said. “The quote that got me fired was, ‘We have to do all the legwork’. That was a comment that I made to one of my co-workers.”

Webb was granted the right to sue after filing an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint in Jefferson City. However, she said she did not take that action because her life was complicated by the outbreak of COVID-19.

“I didn’t go with the whole right to sue, I didn’t finish out with it,” Webb said. “The COVID and everything came in and it was just a lot going on.”

Lanning’s leadership style has faced scrutiny outside of CAPSTJOE as well. A St. Joseph police officer resigned from a collaborative effort to work with homeless members of the community citing issues with the management of a CAP-operated emergency shelter located at 629 S. Eighth St., which closed due to staffing issues in June 2021.

The officer withdrew from the Continuum of Care, a local collaborative organization that helps combat homelessness, on June 18.

News-Press NOW made an open records request to the City of St. Joseph and received the officer’s letter of resignation to the Continuum. The News-Press is not naming the officer involved, and he declined to comment on the resignation.

“The short staff is due to CAP not authorizing the hiring of new staff. Being understaffed is self-imposed by Ms. Lanning. The former manager had been asking for more staff for months, and her requests were ignored,” the resignation letter reads. “Ms. Lanning made no to minimal effort in hiring staff. The second ‘resignation’ was actually a termination by Ms. Lanning of the manager of the Emergency Shelter, who had been covering the open shifts on top of her normal daily operational duties.

“The manager and 4 staff members had been working together to keep the shelter open. They had received little training and support from Ms. Lanning,” the letter continues. “The closing of the Emergency Shelter, changing of the hours, and limiting the assistance to the homeless has always been the end objective. The former manager had been against these changes and had been advocating for the residents. The closing of the Emergency Shelter is creating a tremendous hardship on the homeless ...

“I feel the desire to help the homeless is not of importance to Ms. Lanning, and any efforts false and are politically motivated. I want no part of anything Ms. Lanning is associated with and withdrawal from the Continuum,” the letter concludes.

The statement from CAP’s board stresses the agency’s commitment to serving the community.

“Since the inception of the agency in 1965, CAP has been, and continues to be, committed to serving the needs of low-income and marginalized populations throughout our four-county service area,” the statement reads. “We have and continue to actively work to promote the importance of diversity and inclusion among our employees and in the communities we serve.”