Renaissance Community Services The Non-Profit that Isn’t

By Emerson Drake To provide a little background, Renaissance Community Services (RCS) filed their articles of incorporation in June of 2009. Justin Fair was named as the President of the RCS and Darryl Fair is their registered agent. According to records they are not classified as a non-profit. Yet their website http://www.rencsa.org/statistics.htm says that they are. Frank Ploof is named as the Case Manager for the company. They refreshed their incorporation in March of this year using the same players. When I walked into the Renaissance Community Service Center located at 1417 D St. here in Modesto, I found former SCAP Directors Darryl Fair and Frank Ploof sitting at a table. The three of us discussed the Blue Ribbon Commission’s reference points given by Steve Madison to Garrad Marsh’s Safety and Community Committee. They said I didn’t know what I was talking about since I had only been to one meeting. I reminded them I, my wife or a friend had been to all of their meetings and that no votes were taken. Fair pointedly said what I already knew, he had sat next to my wife at the last meeting. Fair and Ploof both made the claim that if you aren’t on the committee you couldn’t possibly know what was going on. I reminded them that the meetings were held in the public and unless they had met privately I was aware of all that had transpired. I tried to untangle the web of interconnected companies and non-profits that Fair has woven together when he speaks in public, but his unwillingness to respond to specific questions or to clarify his broad statements make understanding impossible. At times Mr.Fair claimed that the RCS was a church, but when asked to provide the financial records he said they only discuss their financial statements on the third Sunday in January and only to church members. He didn’t respond to the question regarding a loss of non-profit status to one of the ministries he’s affiliated with or if this was the one in question. He did acknowledge the “Home of the Brave Compound” or to use his term “The Compound”. This property is owned by the Gallos and SCAP is paying his rent. This facility is supposed to be used for returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, hence the name ,but none were present to my knowledge that day. He suggested SCAP was using their private money to pay the rent. But since the only money SCAP really has is money collected from rental housing purchased by Federal funds this claim is as dubious as Joe Gibbs claim the $465,000 he was to be paid didn’t come from federal funds. Fair makes the claim he passes out $300,000 worth of food each year. But that would approximate $5,769 each and every week. I saw about two thirds of a bag of groceries and this was the day the food was to be passed out. But then maybe I missed the rush. After all it opened at 11:00 and here it was 11:30. But maybe he combines the totals with all of the cities Non-Profits/agencies. When asked where these large donations come from he said they don’t apply for grants so as not to dilute the total amount available by having even more overhead. But he refused to provide any names of agencies or specific amounts of the contributions. Mr. Ploof removed himself from the conversation early on and stayed in the rear of the facility and remained there for the remainder of our conversation. Then the conversation switched to the day drop-in facility for the homeless he wants to start. He has previously said this was his prime reason for joining Muratore’s Blue Ribbon Commission on the homeless. During this part of our conversation he became agitated. He has repeatedly described this as a home by a park for the homeless to stay during the day. He has been hoping someone would write a grant application for him or give him the necessary money. He proclaimed 720 G St. to be the building he has been referring to. Unfortunately for Fairs’ credibility there isn’t a park anywhere near there and it isn’t a home. When this was pointed out he quickly said “they” could make one. That it wouldn’t be as big as Cesar E. Chavez Park but it would still be a park. Again unfortunately this address is in a business district and there isn’t any land available for a park. Interestingly enough. the 720 address is being sold by Centerra Properties. Centerra Properties is Councilman Muratore’s former business before he started Benchmark Reality with Ryan Swehla. Centerra Properties is the company used to purchase the land for EAH and Swehla’s North Gate Complex slated for North Ninth St as soon as the financing come through from, you guessed it! Federal grants. The normally affable Darryl Fair, when pressed for accurate answers to these questions became belligerent. He stood up, puffed up like a toad, and started jabbing his finger excitedly. I explained that much larger men than himself had attempted to intimidate me and it didn’t work for them and it wouldn’t work for him either. He then suggested pointedly I needed to leave. I asked if he was ordering me to leave and he just repeated himself. I remained seated. So he turned in a huff and said “then I’m leaving”. Mr. Fair then strode quickly out a side door. It’s unfortunate the meeting ended so abruptly when so many questions remain unanswered. To comment on this and other articles go to Modesto’s Premier website the SWARM http://blog.voiceofmodesto.com/ 720 G St. Modesto Ca