Volunteers of America is an official non profit organization that claims it’s been helping people for the last 125 years, but if you’ve had any personal experience with them, you probably never realized it. That is because the foul stench of hood emanates from just about everything they do and they fail to achieve a net positive, both for individuals and for this country.

Especially if you don’t fit their profile.

That’s because Volunteers of America values diversity over merit and non white, lazy employees who will raise their voice at you if you call them past 4:30 pm and they’ve clocked out for the day. Most of the business world closes down at 5:00 pm at the earliest, by the way. That’s the only folks they want to hire too, apparently. Don’t worry though, because I’ll prove it and provide references below

A Veteran’s Real Review of Volunteers of America

First off, let’s get one thing clear right away: Volunteers of America are not volunteers at all.

They get paid to do what little work they actually do, and they take the majority of the money to pay their staff and keep their President/CEO paid up and benefiting from all the squalor of a country that has seen homelessness rates skyrocket in recent years and a Supreme Court decide that sleeping in public could be prosecuted as a jailable offense.

VOA doesn’t have to worry about accomplishing anything, they simply have to know how to paint a rosy picture that they are helping so many homeless people (supposedly), employing x amount of special groups of people (diversity hires), and hold various properties in their portfolio to qualify for funding, which they then skim off of and use to pay themselves.

How CEO Michael King Destroyed Volunteers of America by Focusing on Diversity in Recent Years

The CEO of Volunteers of America, Michael King, has been the CEO since 2010. He manages a budget of over 1 billion dollars. In his time at the organization, King has made diversity, equity, and inclusion a priority at Volunteers of America, disabled straight white Christian Veterans be damned. This is manifest in every staff member’s behavior with whom I ever interacted during my experience with them.

While “people of color” are catered to at every turn in the social help system and network in general, from jobs to handouts, if you’ve ever had the unfortunate experience of dealing with social workers at the VA or at the Coalition for the Homeless, you know firsthand that many people are neglected and treated in a way that does not achieve parity with even hospitals in foreign, non white countries.

And you may never get to talk to or see someone who looks and thinks like you. I didn’t.

I was treated rudely at every step and I had to correct VOA staff mistakes on several occasions, even. Getting help from Volunteers of America is akin to working a part time job because you’ll have to constantly remind your “case worker” to simply pay the rent. It will never happen on time, and you’ll always be seen as less than a regular tenant by your landlord.

You can be a disabled veteran with a full time job living in your car who is legitimately trying. You may have to remind the Volunteers of America staff member (which often changes without notice) of the city you’re in multiple times. You can also expect emails sent by diversity hires with the wrong dates. These people are your “case managers?”

My program was funded specifically through a VA grant. Why not just give the disabled veteran the money directly and not put some lazy, unambitious guy who probably got kicked out of the Army himself at 10 years for not being able to make rank and had to find some other easy paycheck that didn’t require much commitment, just some light paper pushing, over you?

The folks that work at Volunteers of America are usually either black, female, or both. If they’re a veteran themselves, like Aubrey Davis in Fayetville, North Carolina, don’t expect any shared sentiments of pride derived from military service or appreciating the values of hard work, keeping your word, and doing a good job.

Rental Assistance With Volunteers of America: I Got an Eviction Notice Every Month and Didn’t Know if the Program Was Even Real or a Money Laundering Non Profit Scam

That’s how I received an eviction notice every month that they provided rental assistance from the apartment where I stayed, which caused me a ton of added and unnecessary stress. I never knew if the police or apartment complex was going to send the Sheriff to boot me out, even while I was working full time and trying my best to succeed on my own and eventually take over rent.

That’s why when I checked in with the apartment’s corporate office to find out if I had an outstanding balance at one point, they said I owed them over $3,200. Imagine you’re trying to work and save up to get on your feet, and you still have the looming dark cloud of eviction and credit destruction from unpaid bills in your name, not knowing if Volunteers of America is a scam the entire time.

Follow the Money to Discover Why Volunteers of America Has No Incentive to Succeed

Volunteers of America’s primary source of funding is through donations and grants. These can come from a variety of sources, including:

• Individual donors: People who make personal contributions to the organization.
• Corporations: Businesses that donate to VOA.
• Foundations: Charitable organizations that provide grants to nonprofits like VOA.
• Government grants: Funding from federal, state, and local governments.

While donations and grants form the backbone of VOA’s funding, they may also generate revenue through other means, such as:

• Program fees: Fees charged for certain services or programs.
• Gift shops or thrift stores: Revenue from retail operations.

So it’s no surprise then that Mike King at LeadingAge, when he’s not skimming off the top at VOA, is also focusing on things that don’t actually work in order to get the maximum funding from a government who wants to know your gender and race whenever you apply for a job somewhere, though in LeadingAge’s case, it’s to target and exploit older people.

I suppose he’s had his fun stealing from veterans and now it’s time to target the elderly and disabled. Maybe they can even look forward to having an assisted living facility full of Jamaican or Haitian nurses who don’t know their medical chart from a duck pond.

All the focus on diversity is probably why it also took Volunteers of America over 3 months to finally get me into housing, as I slept in my car through the entire winter season, with temperatures dropping below 20 degrees at time. And, I was working at the time, so I’d have to get up at 5 am when it’s 20 degrees outside and try to go into work. Contrast that with Aubrey Davis, who gets heated if you call his phone at 4:45 pm on a weekday.

I can promise you no Volunteers of America employee has had to do that while employed there or working for Mr. King. Their organization as one big tax write-off in most cases and money launder.

Quid Pro Quo Harassment by Volunteers of America

When I checked into my apartment finally, one of the first things Aubrey Davis made sure to do was give me the emails to his superiors so I could write him a letter of commendation and gratitude. After all, I had grown weary and stopped believing Volunteers of America was a valid and helpful service organizations when it took them 2 months to finally realize what city I was in, though I was located in the same state just a few hours away. I had to speak to three people before I ever saw someone in person.

So, naturally, I contacted some higher ups in the organization, and that may have gotten the ball rolling finally, though I can’t be decidedly sure. I did however get into my apartment with no money, no furniture, and a few foam pads a co-worker gave me that he was planning to throw out at the city dump. I did not even have a chair or WiFi.

Aubrey also told me that he was going to get me a bed from Mattress Firm and a gift card from Target to accomplish some basic furniture amenity shopping. I had to remind Aubrey after I’d been in my unit for 10 days, with some days still sleeping at Walmart since my age and health status prevent me from sleeping on the ground as I used to be able to pull off, that a bed would be helpful, which I finally got.

I offered to film a review video for Volunteers of America, and they quickly swooped in for that offer to take advantage. A higher up by the name of G. Hill wanted to interview me for a review/testimonial in an apartment with no furniture and no WiFi. My question to them was, how was I supposed to pull off a Zoom interview when my old cell phone barely got regular 4G phone signal? I told them I didn’t want to film a review video or interview until I was fully employed and able to take over the rent on my own.

They did not like hearing that at all.

They backed off from that basic truthful statement, and I never got any furniture from them. I did not expect it. But it was a wakeup call to see that Aubrey encouraged me to do the Zoom interview, saying “Go for it,” almost as if that was their plan the whole time. Once they realized I could string a sentence together and was not a bad person myself, they sprung at the idea of getting some clout from an actual college educated veteran who previously owned his own business prior to 2020.

Volunteers of America Staff Are Not Only NOT Volunteers, They’re Inadquate at Addressing a Disabled Veteran’s Concerns

I’m a 50% service connected disabled veteran, so I get to go to the VA for “free.” However, that does not mean I’m able to get anything meaningful accomplished there, whether it’s medical care or housing assistence for indigence.

This fact is not appreciated by folks like Aubrey Davis and his diversity kinfolk at VOA. It is not understood that the only reason that VOA gets to administer a VA grant in my case, or any other veteran’s, is the implicit acknowledgment of defeat of the VA itself in outsourcing this task.

But the diversity folks at VOA will call you up and practically lecture you about “Why don’t you just go to the VA?” You mean this VA, the VA that assaulted me once in the area of my disability because I corrected a doctor’s attempt to correct, wrongly, my own pronunciation of the word turmeric? The same VA that can’t upgrade its IT system, which has resulted in the actual deaths of veterans?

Aubrey Davis doesn’t care if veterans die under VA care, so long as he can clock out at 4:30 pm. But he doesn’t care about Americans either, which allows him to ignore real problems and be content to do no research at all, to continue residing in a bubble of apathy and a total lack of empathy.

This is the same Aubrey Davis who sat there and listened to the VA customer service rep on the phone deny me my DD-214 when she learned I was homeless, but changed her decision once he got on the phone when Aubrey said “this is for a VA grant funded program.” This black female with a really unhelpful attitude listened to him, but not me, and there was no verification of credentials, she simply decided to cooperate then. This also occurred at my first meeting with Aubrey, who exclaimed “I never had a problem with the VA, I can only say good things about them.” He clearly knows, along with his black female adjacent VA colleague from the direct-funded side of the aisle, to keep up those lies going to ensure they have each others’ back, and a job, in general.

I got laid off from my roofing inspector job back when I could walk better but still had issues, put on indefinite medical leave, because I asked that my VA disability form be entered into the HR’s file for my physical health. Since you don’t inspect roofs every day and you mostly sell, I just needed my manager to understand this fact. He didn’t. They put me in a position to not be able to work and to not qualify for payment for previous contingencies I’d signed up.

When I told Aubrey Davis of this unfortunate turn of events, he simply said, implying that I should not have told them I had a disability, “I would have just told them I was a veteran.” So Aubrey Davis expects me to destroy my own body and hide the medical reality that the US Navy kicked me out for against my will? I’m supposed to not take care of myself. The very reason I’m challenged is from my military service, and Volunteers of America wants me to hide or ignore it?

Gainful Employment Becomes Impossible When Everyone is Incompetent and Low Trust

I got sick of the resentment, negativity, and total polar opposite of attitudes and opinions I got from everyone I dealt with at Volunteers of America. It got so bad, that I stopped answering my phone and only communicated by email to my “social worker,” a guy who admittedly still has not repaired the storm damage to his home’s roof from several storms ago, though he has already cashed the wind-and-hail insurance claim.

When I worked in the roofing business, this was often referred to as insurance fraud. But this “man” is supposed to ensure a roof over my own head? Aubrey Davis, in his own words, went on vacation at the end of June, and no one at Volunteers of America made my July or August 2024 payments, leaving me with a large tab and in disbelief.

I had three months (officially, supposedly) of rental assistance from Volunteers of America. I had plans of picking up the rent. I told them to simply keep the remaining three months or give to another veteran who needed it more, forefeiting 3 free months of rent and choosing to move back into my car.

Aubrey Davis and my apartment manager could not communicate directly with me or answer straight questions, or be relied upon to simply do the right thing ahead of time. But they could speak to each other on the phone about me, when they would team up and lick their wounds from when I dressed them down from the mass of serious problems with both Volunteers of America and Tribute Properties, which neither would address.

This is because they don’t care enough to communicate and they’re not as committed to doing the right thing, making sure society as a whole functions (better, or at all), and they’re only there to punch the clock and get their paycheck.

But to prove a point and to escape the incompetence of all parties, I simply put what little money I have where my mouth it, which is far away from them. Sadly, my remote job as a copywriter at Lead Media also resulted in non payment in full for my 2nd paycheck. When I raised this concern and said I did not want a repeat of the experience I had working for Best Choice Roofing, I was fired. I was eventually paid in full 2 weeks later, but this pay issue was another red flag for me, while dealing with a swamp full of parasites.

What One Volunteers of America Employee Had to Say About VOA

One employee seemed to share my concerns about potential fraud.

I am a current Volunteers of America Greater New York employee and would prefer to remain anonymous in fear of retaliation from Upper Management and Human resources. Where do i begin? This organization is so corrupt and needs to be investigated IMMEDIATELY! Upper management does nothing but evil and conniving things to run good employees off and Human Resources does nothing about anything but devise plans to cover up lying, stealing, discrimination, bogus hiring practices etc.

The upper management, including the executive office (50th street) fakes documents regarding funding allocations to keep money coming in. They cheat employees out of COLAs then have them sign documents stating they received monies when they really DID’NT.

I can bet my bottom dollar if this organization is investigated it would not last. They steal from the employees and “claim” they care about providing services for people in need, but that’s just a load of BS. They need to start the investigation with the “Acting sector director” of sectors 5&9 right along with the Senior Director of Supportive Housing on up to the execs at 50th street! They are creating fraudulent documents and charging residents rent that they are not suppose to be paying. They love to write one thing in email then state to call them to discuss so the can say the opposite. This is one way they use to cover things up. At this point i’ve witnessed and have proof of so many things that is going on I am ASHAMED for working with this organization. I cannot go to HR with my concerns because all the will do is cover everything up! SO DISGUSTED!

I myself began to wonder throughout the process, after all the emails with incorrect dates and unpaid rent balances at my apartment, if VOA signs people up for the maximum government benefit, then cuts them loose and collects the balance, sticking them with the bill later.

Conclusion: I Don’t Recommend Volunteers of America

So here I am, back in my car, and Volunteers of America, Tribute Propties, and Lead Media all got to use VA subsidized funding for my office to work and pay for my own WiFi eventually, with nothing to show than a few more thousand in my bank account, and another bleak prospect of finding work while living in my car.

But the massively subsidized USA rolls on into deeper decay, sloth, decadence, and a low trust society that resembles some of the third world countries I visited in my world travels.

And Volunteers of America’s solution is to simply take even more from the taxpayer and deny all of it’s even occurring. Volunteers of America, Michael King, and LeadingAge are the perfect examples of the largest and corruption that plagues hard working, honest Americans and especially veterans who just need a place to stay so they can work and try to build a sustainable future for themselves.

And the social services revolving door keeps turning, poverty pimps that they all are. And why the need to use the term “Volunteer” in your name, when you’re not doing anything out of the kindness of your heart, and you fail at your basic stated purpose and mission?

Then there’s the added resentment of types of people who have seen themselves at having not failed at life, because they’ve never really tried. These are the people who, like Aubrey Davis told me, will tell you that “you came from humble beginnings.” Funny to hear a guy who probably got kicked out of the Army because he couldn’t make rank tell that to a guy who’s been published by MTV, earned a college degree, had his own business at one time, and volunteered for no pay at all around the world when he was physically able to do so.

It’s also the opposite of the truth, again.