Director Resigns from Financially Troubled Homeless Shelter

Carole Antonetz has submitted her resignation as executive director of the Open Door Shelter for the homeless after 23 years with the financially troubled organization, which is now seeking a replacement.

"It's personal -- it's not anything I care to discuss," Antonetz said last week when asked about her leaving the post. She would not say what her future plans are or why she is leaving. A search committee formed by the board of directors has been looking for a replacement for the past two months, she said.

The shelter announced in late November that it was facing a drop in contributions at the same time that the demand for services was increasing. The organization said at the time it had a deficit of $200,000 and was considering cutting services and laying off staff. Antonetz said the $200,000 deficit is larger than that and since late November there have been some layoffs and cuts in a breakfast program: Instead of hot breakfasts, a cold continental breakfast of bagels or pastries with coffee is served.

The shelter, which has more than 95 beds and serves about 60,000 meals a year, has a $2.5 million operating budget, of which 60 percent comes from private donations, according to Antonetz. The rest comes from city, state and federal government funds, she said. The Open Doors shelter has about 50 full- and part-time employees.

More program cuts and layoffs could follow, she said. "It all depends on whether the money comes in or does not come in."

One area that would not be affected by budget cutting is the Hope Works jobs program, which started on Nov. 1 with a donation made specifically for that program.

Mayor Richard Moccia said the city needs more details on the organization's financial situation before he requests more money for the shelter. Moccia said last week that he and members of the Board of Estimate and Taxation "need a little more financial information from the shelter as to how all their money's being spent."

"They claimed a deficit of $200,000, so that concerns me," Moccia said. "I'm not saying anything's wrong down there (at the shelter), but we want to know what they're doing to try to make up that deficit."