LA’s highest-paid homeless nonprofit CEO lives in Hawaii on $1.6M wage

A Los Angeles homeless nonprofit CEO earned greater than $1.6 million in wage, bonuses and trip payouts — regardless of residing hundreds of miles away in Hawaii.

Carol Adelkoff, from 1736 Household Disaster Middle, was the best paid government within the business within the metropolis after incomes the whopping determine during the last two years.

She collected $907,923 in 2023 and one other $742,181 in 2024, compensation that dwarfed the pay of leaders operating a lot bigger homeless service organizations throughout LA County, the LA Occasions studies.

The nonprofit, which operates home violence shelters, disaster hotlines and homeless applications throughout LA and Orange counties, brings in about $15 million a yr, with roughly 94% of its income coming from taxpayer-funded authorities grants, in response to its newest tax filings.

Adelkoff defended the large payouts, claiming they had been largely the results of cashing out many years of unused trip time quite than a dramatic wage enhance.

“The wage didn’t soar like that,” Adelkoff mentioned.

She mentioned her base wage has remained round $405,000 for a number of years and that roughly $824,000 of the cash paid over the two-year span represented collected trip relationship again many years.

The subsequent-best-paid worker, the finance director, made $206,000.

“It was merely a matter of lowering accrued trip legal responsibility on the books and paying it out,” Adelkoff mentioned. 

The nonprofit’s legal professional Kerry Garvis Wright mentioned the board labored with authorized and monetary advisers to cut back the rising trip legal responsibility earlier than Adelkoff’s eventual retirement.

Wright mentioned the chief had collected the depart as a result of the calls for of main the group made it tough for her to take time without work over her 40-year tenure. 

Nonetheless, nonprofit governance consultants questioned each the payout and the oversight behind it.

“The larger query is, was it acceptable for an individual to have the ability to accrue that a lot cash and all of the sudden get it paid out?” mentioned Brian Mittendorf, an Ohio State College knowledgeable in nonprofit accounting.

Laurie Styron, CEO of nonprofit watchdog CharityWatch, known as the payout “extremely uncommon.” “How was this resolution made?” she requested. 

Specialists additionally famous that whereas California employers can’t power employees to forfeit unused trip, most nonprofits cap how a lot paid time without work workers can financial institution.

The Occasions reported 1736 Household Disaster Middle capped trip accrual for different workers — however not for Adelkoff. The manager has additionally been residing removed from the nonprofit’s headquarters.

Adelkoff has listed the Massive Island of Hawaii as her main residence for greater than a decade, in response to the outlet.

Property data present she owns a 3,700-square-foot, four-bedroom house, and court docket data embrace testimony from her daughter that she was raised in Hawaii and that her mom lives there “year-round.” 

Adelkoff declined to verify the place she lives, telling the newspaper that revealing her location may pose a safety danger as a result of the nonprofit serves victims fleeing abusive conditions. She additionally didn’t reply questions on how usually she travels to Southern California for work or who pays for these journeys. 

Different nonprofit leaders informed The Occasions that whereas some government duties might be dealt with remotely, frequently visiting shelters and assembly with employees, donors and shoppers is a key a part of operating community-based organizations.

“I’m certain that that’s an operational problem,” Mittendorf mentioned. “My huge query can be, does it create extra of a monetary burden on the group?” 

The nonprofit mentioned Adelkoff works a mean of 70 hours every week and that her pay has returned to its historic degree now that the holiday payouts have been accomplished. 

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