According to our newsgathering partners at the News and Observer, the lawsuit filed in April names a former Durham Rescue Mission volunteer coordinator as the alleged abuser.
The anonymous plaintiff says the abuse happened four or five times a week, sometimes multiple times a day, between April 2023 and February 2024.
The filing says that the alleged suspect used the plaintiff's housing as leverage, threatening him with removal from the shelter if he didn't comply.
The plaintiff said he eventually recorded the abuse and reported it to administrators.
The former employee was fired, but according to the lawsuit, was allowed to stay in shelter-provided housing for another month and was later hired by another Durham nonprofit.
The lawsuit also alleges that Rescue Mission staffers discouraged the plaintiff from going to the police and told him he may not be able to stay at the Mission if he did.
The Durham Rescue Mission said it takes the allegations seriously and fired the employee involved the same day it was reported.
In a statement, the organization said: "We have received the lawsuit filed by a former Durham Rescue Mission client that includes allegations of a serious nature involving a former staff member, who originally came to us as a client. We take these allegations very seriously. The safety and well-being of the individuals we serve is of utmost importance and central to our mission. We maintain rigorous policies concerning appropriate conduct and require all staff to complete anti-harassment training to promote a safe and respectful environment. When the alleged incident was first brought to our attention, we immediately addressed it in accordance with our policies, and the individual was terminated from our organization that same day. Because this matter is the subject of ongoing litigation, we cannot comment further at this time."
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