Stay away from this abuser of disabled people
I am a long-time client of ACT Team 2 and Hillcrest Children and Family Center of Washington DC. This is an awful business that has abused and taken advantage of mentally disabled people for many years. I have personally experienced rotten communications from the staff, rotten awful customer service, abusive and threatening behavior towards disenfranchised, poverty stricken, poorly educated, mentally disabled people that oftentimes are NOT able to advocate for themselves. I have personally witnessed rude and surly staff members treating Human Beings like they are nothing. Like they have no value. And I have spoken up about it while in their waiting room. And their staff called security on me and threatened to have me arrested. And I have seen other people that have been taken away and arrested because they complained about the toxic atmosphere. These Hillcrest staff people will contrive stories about interactions and will try to discredit disabled people and make it look like their toxic interactions are the fault of the disabled people they serve. Community Support Workers that are supposed to be caregivers for severely compromised people that are trying to live within the community. But they will visit them for only one minute. And then they say, "You have been seen." They won't sit. They won't visit. It's so rotten. I have had Community Support Workers from Hillcrest promise to see me when I am in so much discomfort and then just blow me off and not show up at all. And then don't call me to let me know. One time I was called for jury duty. I was so sick and my feet were swollen and I couldn't put on my shoes. So I asked my Community Support Worker from Hillcrest to pick up a note from my doctor so I could get out of jury duty. She refused. I actually had to write to the Mayor of Washington DC to get her to do her job. There were so many times that this monster seemed to have a nice side. She told me she loved me. And she gave me hugs. And so I gave her my art creations. I gave her one of a kind paintings and sculptures. I frequently sent emails to her with art images in them. Just recently, within the past couple of weeks, I had to recertify with Medicaid. My Hillcrest Community Support Worker helped me with the application and said she mailed it. But she didn't. And a week ago I got a letter from Medicaid saying I never sent in my application and that they were going to cancel me on October 30, 2023. I immediately called my worker and she then told me that she set up an account on the Medicaid portal and that my Medicaid had been renewed. I didn't believe her. She was very vague in her communications with me. So I asked for proof that it was renewed. And she would not provide any proof. I called her many times and I emailed her and her supervisors at Hillcrest. They did nothing. This rotten worker would not call me. And it was only after I threatened Hillcrest with a lawsuit that my Community Support Worker came to see me. And she was so surly and rude. She ignored me. She would not tell me what her problem was. And when we were talking on speakerphone with a Medicaid worker, it became obvious that my CSW was lying all along. She had done nothing. I videotaped this interaction and I made it into a video review for Hillcrest. It is live now on my YouTube channel at TheJakeFolger. This organization is supposed to be caregivers for some of our most fragile people of which I am one. - Jacob Folger, Disabled US Army Veteran and Advocate for Homeless and Disenfranchised People Since 1982. FriendtotheHomeless.org.
By Jake Folger for Human R.