LOS ANGELES _ Los Angeles lawyer Peter Schey has long been a trailblazing courtroom defender of immigrant youth.
He helped argue the Supreme Court case that ensured the right of children without legal status to attend public schools. He also helped secure the Flores settlement _ a landmark 1997 agreement to safeguard migrant children held by the government, which gave his legal foundation the right to inspect those shelters.
That case also inspired him to run his own shelter for homeless migrant youths.
Schey opened Casa Libre, or Freedom House, in late 2002 in a historic mansion near MacArthur Park, saying it would care for "the most vulnerable" children.
But Casa Libre has been cited by state officials 143 times for failing to meet standards for state-licensed group homes, and 89 of those were for issues that posed "an immediate risk to the health, safety or personal rights of residents," a Los Angeles Times investigation found.
Interviews with more than two dozen former employees and residents and a review of hundreds of documents _ including 15 years' worth of state inspection reports _ show a pattern of neglect that has persisted despite efforts by workers and residents to inform Schey and the board of directors about problems at the home.
Children have been locked out of the home for hours because there was no staff on-site, forcing some to take shelter outside in a broken-down van. And at times, there has not been enough food, former residents said.
There was violence among the residents and break-ins, according to former residents and workers. The basement frequently flooded. And the roof often leaked, according to former workers and state inspections. Bed bugs infested residents' mattresses, cockroaches swarmed the kitchen, and some of the boys used drugs in the home, former residents and workers said.
Asked by The Times about conditions at the home, Schey directed the staff of his legal foundation to conduct an investigation.
A report based on that investigation blames one "disgruntled former program director" for some problems at Casa Libre but also accuses him of making false claims about the program.
The Times spoke with 14 current and former Casa Libre workers _ including seven former managers _ who described various problems throughout the years, including severe lack of staff, poor supervision and Schey's unresponsiveness when they raised concerns.
The report prepared by Schey's legal foundation said Casa Libre, which is licensed by the state Department of Social Services to house boys ages 12 to 17, is under new leadership that has "shifted its focus back to its original goals, strengthened internal policies, and raised funds and resources" to house more residents.
"Most kids I talk to tell me it was the best home they ever lived in," said Schey, who serves as president of Casa Libre's board of directors and executive director of the nonprofit group that runs it, which is a sister organization to his legal foundation.
"Is it perfect? No, it's not perfect," he added in an interview with The Times. "Is it better than being homeless on the streets? No question. Is it better than being in custody? No question. Could we improve? Absolutely. Are we trying to improve? Yes, absolutely."
Schey _ who was named Los Angeles' "immigrant advocate" in 2017 by the City Council _ argued in the interview that other homes probably have a similar number of violations of state rules.
"Pick five shelters in Los Angeles and I wouldn't be surprised at all if each year licensing finds five or 10 or 15 things that they need to remedy," he said.
But online records from the Department of Social Services show Casa Libre has had 33 citations since 2017, more than any of the other 143 licensed group homes in Los Angeles County.
The average for the county homes was about five during the four-year period for which online records are available.
