Former staff, patients call for Govt intervention at Rebirth House

Multiple groups, comprised of former patients, a former chief executive officer, and other staff, are calling for government intervention at Rebirth House, the country’s longest-running drug rehabilitation centre.

According to the concerned groups, decisions taken by the board in recent years have led to a dramatic decline in operations and questionable dealings.

The facility’s patient numbers have declined significantly over the last two decades.

In 2008, there were 85 patients.

As of Thursday last week, there were nine patients.

“Changes in admission policy to one informed by international standards, which includes mandatory testing for communicable diseases, which most clients have been failing, have impacted the admissions of more clients,” the board told Guardian Media.

Last February, a group wrote to the Office of the Prime Minister requesting an investigation.

“Programmes and in-house services provided by the organisation to drug addicts, their families and the national community have been terminated. These programmes included: The Oasis-Harm Reduction Programme, the transition house for working members being reinserted into society, our long-stay residential and self-sustaining/occupational house at Chaguaramas, and a cessation of drop-in and charitable admissions at the office at Charlotte Street,” the letter stated.

The Office of the Prime Minister did not respond to the letter.

In March, the Ministry of Health’s Permanent Secretary, Asif Ali, responded to the group’s concerns by outlining Rebirth’s obligations, based on a 2024 Memorandum of Understanding with the ministry.

“Kindly indicate, with supporting evidence, whether the obligations of Rebirth House as per the MOU are being compromised and further highlight the key issues arising related to the provision of rehabilitation services to clients,” Ali said.

Between July 2014 and March 2021, according to the organisation’s accounts, Rebirth received more than $8 million in government funding.

It also received $1.2 million in sponsor donations and $237,000 in other donations.

According to the group, five staff members who raised concerns about the board’s spending decisions were fired between 2020 and 2024.

Rebirth House’s board denied being asked by staff to see financial documents and also denied allegations of financial impropriety.

“The accounts of Rebirth House are audited annually, with the last being at the end of the fiscal year 2024, and quarterly reports are sent to the Ministry of Health,” the board said.

However, former CEO Neela Birjah had serious questions about the company’s finances.

“I had to leave, cause I will go to jail. I declined to renew my contract. I disagree with all the inconsistencies over the years that board members expect me to resolve, being the newest person there, when they have been there from the inception. So when I discover something and ask questions, they want me to figure it out when you sat on the board and signed cheques. You approved it, so you should explain it to me.

“Imagine you are struggling to have a mattress for clients. When I got here, clients were sleeping on springs. I mean, it’s best they are on the road. What had they been doing with the funds all the time?” she said.

A former director, who asked to remain anonymous, said she sought financial records to ensure Rebirth was meeting its fiduciary requirements but never received them.

“They received $365,000 to install an IT system. They said it was for WiFi. It was also supposed to be a finance system. Three hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars for an accounting package for a non-profit organisation that is managing addicts, and they have four addicts on the compound? I was floored. They said they were buying some computers … I just thought the priorities were not in line because here you have a compound with no proper electricity. They had four bathrooms upstairs and two downstairs, of which one was working. Then, the beds were not the best. At least, be humane,” she said.

The former director added that after attending four Annual General Meetings without receiving the financial documents she requested, she resigned.

Money repaid after project

In 2021, as confirmed by Rebirth House’s board, $385,000 was paid out to several contractors for a proposed digitisation project.

According to a signed invoice, Amar Distribution Limited Digital Consulting, owned by Robert Amar, received a contract worth $84,375 to provide configuration and initial data entry for databases, management systems, as well as client registration and activity.

According to a second signed invoice, Media 21 Limited, owned by former Caribbean Prestige Foundation Chairman Peter Scoon, was given $93,150 to improve the existing data schema, design a remote database schema and implement, build a suite of online, real-time reports, and satisfy report requirements for local and international agencies.

As seen in a third signed invoice, Macushula—owned by the former representative of Clico/CLF majority shareholder Lawrence Duprey, Claudius Dacon—received $18,200 to install databases, deliver secure interfaces to data and analyses, reactivate a website, and install a document management solution.

Cheques were also made out to several other people for lesser amounts.

When contacted for comment, Amar admitted that he got caught up in the situation after agreeing to help his former business associate, then-Rebirth House treasurer David Walker.

“I went out to help this gentleman, and I ended up putting myself in unnecessary difficulty, which I am not accustomed to doing, but he did a body of work with me for a while, and basically, you begin to develop a trust with somebody.

Amar, as confirmed by a former CEO, repaid $75,000 to Rebirth House.

Former Rebirth Treasurer David Walker, mentioned by Amar, admitted to Guardian Media that he was responsible, at least partly, for the failed project.

“I failed, frankly, in several regards. There has been an attempt to resolve it. I am participating in it with the requisite persons who were supposed to do the work.

“I am just telling you straight up what the situation is. I said to the person that if it gets to the point that it comes to a legal matter, I will compensate them, and I will pay them out because I do not wish to be associated with the problem. Now the problem is multifaceted. I failed in certain respects, but there were a lot of other failings within the organisation itself. I cannot see myself going down the line,” he said.

Claudius Dacon, the managing director of Macushula, at first denied that his company received a contract from Rebirth House.

“Not my company…The contract was awarded to a director of the company,” he said.

After being informed that Guardian Media had a copy of an invoice signed by him, he said, “An invoice is not a contract. I received funds for the director. The director was in Tobago at the time, and he asked me to receive the funds for him. That was just one transaction. There were multiple payouts. I was unhappy with the transaction, and he was a friend of mine, but I did it.”

According to the Company Registry search, as of July 2019, Macushula’s only listed directors were Claudius Dacon and Lenora Dacon.

The company was struck off the company registry in January.

Peter Scoon, owner of Media 21, said he was not familiar with the matter.

“I am investigating it and will get back to you in a couple of days. Media 21’s doors have been closed since 2021 and struck off the company’s register,” he said.

He did not return with an update.

On June 27, former CEO Birjah made a police report about the project.

Rebirth’s board confirmed that contractors were paid, but there were no deliverables.

Disappointment

A former Rebirth employee and patient, who wanted their name withheld, Rebirth saved his life.

“My family would carry me down there for three months. I would straighten myself and come home, and within about three weeks, be back on the street. I was able to work there as well. I was also able to teach those who also wanted to learn. It was ideal for recovery and rehabilitation. Most failed and went back, but they kept coming back. Rebirth House would keep taking us back.

“The place is now in shambles. There were always about 25 people down there, and it really helped a lot of people. I am not only talking about people with families who could afford to go down and pay. There were always clothes to give them, and they tried to give them jobs after,” he lamented.

Another former addict, who was at Rebirth from 2017 to 2019, said he left after the AGM in December 2019, following conflicts with the direction of the board.

“There were usually 30 clients in RBH all year round. By the end of the pandemic, there were maybe 5 clients, and it has stayed that way to date. RBH used to have around 15-20 staff members, of whom most were dismissed. The St Ann’s halfway house and The Oasis (meals, clothes and shower facility) on Duncan Street have been shut down. There were only 2 men in the Chaguaramas facility when I visited in December 2024, one working for the army and the other the gardener,” he said.

Rebirth was formed by a recovering alcoholic and philanthropist, George “Tambi” Maximin, in 1988.