Lease vote delayed amid health concerns at DCYF headquarters

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A planned vote on a new 10‑year lease for the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) headquarters was delayed after union members raised concerns about what they call an “unhealthy workspace.”

The Special State Properties Committee was set to approve the lease for 101 Friendship St. in Providence during Tuesday’s meeting, but questions from SEIU Local 580—the union representing roughly 300 DCYF employees— prompted the panel to postpone the vote and schedule a public comment session. A date has not yet been announced.

Union members claim the building, a retrofitted former jewelry factory, has been plagued by health complaints for decades and subjected to three federal investigations. They argue it was never intended for “safe, modern office use” and its lease should not be extended.

Photos of the building’s condition, reportedly taken July 25, were shown at the meeting, printed on large sheets of paper. They depict black mold on vents, a decomposing rat, and water leaking through ceilings.

“DCYF removes children from unsafe homes, yet it holds parent-child visits in this public office building? Neither the kids nor DCYF workers should be exposed to an unhealthy, taxpayer-funded office space,” the union wrote in a statement.

Union members claim the heating and cooling system is “chronically inefficient” despite rising operational costs. They said DCYF is proposing to spend nearly $24 million in taxpayer money over the next decade to lease a building they allege contains toxic materials. They also criticized the $1.2 million in taxpayer money spent on parking in fiscal year 2024.

Union leaders argue the building is “underutilized and unnecessary” due to more mobile field work and technological advances.

In a survey of 580 unionized DCYF workers, more than 85% said they do not want the department to continue leasing the building, citing illness, unsafe conditions, cost inefficiency, the building’s age, and poor air quality.

“All this building does is get you sick,” one member wrote.

“It is filthy, has documented health concerns, causes allergic reactions to people with mold and dust allergies, there are heavy metals littered in a place that serves children. We won’t allow children in foster homes with lead, but allow them in this building,” another said. “It is so expensive for a death trap.”

“The building is falling apart. I am on the fifth floor and there is literally stuff falling from the ceilings every day to the point I can’t have a coffee cup unless it has a cover on it,” one worker wrote.

According to an August 2021 email, DCYF employees had previously raised concerns about sicknesses they believe were tied to the building, including congestion, allergies, watery eyes, headaches, and difficulty breathing. A 2020 survey of 82 workers included requests for better maintenance, improved air circulation, and rodent removal.

Meanwhile, DCYF officials said they addressed certain circumstances that have arisen and further affirmed the building is safe.

Chief of Staff Misty Delgado expressed disappointment in the lease not being executed on schedule. She told the committee she photographed the images shown at the meeting and would “look into it to see if it’s valid,” but called much of what was presented “theatrics.”

“We stand on our position that this is the best location and building for our workforce,” Delgado added. “Neither of us would make a decision to put our workforce in an unhealthy or unsafe building.”

Earlier this week, Gov. Dan McKee told 12 News a five‑page report—reportedly released just minutes before Tuesday’s meeting—was shared with the union and found “no need for any action in that building.”

“I think the report speaks for itself,” McKee said. “But we will continue to monitor all conditions in all buildings, especially where our staff is working on a day-to-day basis.”

The report from Regan Heating and Air Conditioning shows air quality testing from July 23 through July 25 revealed “no action necessary” regarding particulate levels, chemical pollutants, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

“The testing has confirmed that the building is operating at safe and acceptable levels … and that the building is a safe environment as related to indoor air quality,” the report states.

However, SEIU Local 580 President and DCYF caseworker Matthew Gunnip said the union never received the report and accused DCYF administration of misleading both the governor and the State Properties Committee.

“The State Properties Committee questioned both the validity of the last-minute test results suddenly produced by DCYF and whether there was a conflict of interest involving the vendor that conducted the testing,” Gunnip wrote in a statement to 12 News.

He called the situation “especially troubling” and said union members are “rapidly losing confidence” in DCYF leadership. The union also has multiple pending lawsuits before the labor board for alleged violations of workers’ legal rights, which Gunnip said McKee’s office “committed to resolving.”

“For DCYF to dismiss frontline workers’ serious health and safety concerns as ‘theatrics’ during today’s hearing shows a continued pattern of blatant disregard for their staff,” he stated.

The current lease expires Nov. 30. If a new lease is not signed, officials said the agency could remain in the building on a month-to-month basis until a more permanent solution is found.