Haiti Slams Charity Run by Olde Good Things Antique Chain

Olde Good Things is familiar to many New Yorkers as an antique and high-end architectural salvage store, where a door knob from the 1800s might sell for as much as $750, or a silver-plated chandelier for more than $17,000.

The store is operated by the Church of Bible Understanding, and the owners tell customers that part of the proceeds go to pay for an orphanage the group runs in Haiti. Filings with the IRS show the group claims to be spending $2.5 million dollars a year on it. But an investigation by the Associated Press found that conditions at the orphanage run by the group are so poor that the Haitian government has said it shouldn't remain open.

WNYC's Soterios Johnson spoke with Ben Fox, the editor in charge of the AP's Caribbean coverage. Fox said when the AP visited the orphanage it was in the process of trying to bring it up to code. The Haitian government had been conducting inspections and found that the orphanage didn't meet the minimum standards for operation in the country.

"It was dirty, it was overcrowded, they said the staff didn't have the proper training, the kids weren't going to school." he said "It should be noted that there are plenty of other places in Haiti that also don't meet these standards. They're not the only ones that didn't meet the standards, but the standards aren't very high."