GUILDERLAND — A direct-care aid at Vanderheyden Hall in Rensselaer County who is charged with sexually abusing a resident in his care is a past recipient of the Iowa Matthew Shepard Scholarship. This college scholarship is awarded to “openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer” students who have “a reputation for honesty, integrity and community service” and “demonstrate moral and ethical leadership,” according to a brochure from the not-for-profit Eychaner Foundation that awards it.

Justin Hope, 32, who lives in Guilderland’s Woodlake Apartments, is accused of sexually abusing a resident with intellectual disabilities, when he worked at Vanderheyden Hall in Rensselaer County, a facility for at-risk youth up to the age of 21.  

The victim was male, said William Reynolds, spokesman for the New York State Justice Center for Protection of People with Special Needs, the organization that investigated and is prosecuting the case.

Hope is charged with two felonies, third-degree criminal sexual abuse and first-degree endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person; and with two misdemeanors, second-degree sexual abuse and sexual misconduct.

He was arraigned on March 16 in Albany County Court before Judge William Carter and is due back in court on March 24. His file is sealed, according to the Albany County Clerk’s office.

When asked if the arrest has hurt Vanderheyden’s reputation, Cathy Yudzevich, director of Vanderheyden’s development and marketing, said this week, “We have 350 dedicated and passionate employees, and they do wonderful things that I see every day.”

A statement from Vanderheyden says that the organization reported the alleged incident to local police and other authorities immediately upon learning about it and that the organization has “fully cooperated with the Justice Center and law enforcement in the investigation process.”

Vanderheyden Hall provides residential housing and 24/7 staffing support to youth who are referred through schools, courts, county agencies, and parents. The young people who live at Vanderheyden Hall have a variety of educational, developmental, behavioral, emotional, and psychological disabilities.

The events unfolded this way, according to a press release from the Justice Center:

In August 2016, Hope signed the victim out of a Vanderheyden Hall residential facility without authorization and brought him to a local sporting event and to Hope’s apartment; he gave him alcohol and marijuana and engaged in oral sex with him, according to the release.

Bystanders saw Hope and the victim drinking alcohol in public, the release says. The case was reported to Vanderheyden Hall, setting in motion a process that led to Hope’s resignation, a months-long investigation by the Justice Center assisted by the Albany Police Department, and Hope’s indictment and March 16 arraignment.

Hope pleaded not guilty, said the Justice Center’s Reynolds, and was remanded to Albany County’s jail.

By law, any sexual contact between an employee and a resident of a facility certified by the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities is considered criminal, provided that the employee knows or has reason to know that the resident is receiving services at the facility.

Hope is currently employed at Alliance for Positive Health, but is on administrative leave, said Donna Vancavage, director of development and marketing, “based on what we’ve heard from the Justice Department.” She said that she and her co-workers had only learned of the charges against Hope a few days ago and emphasized that the alleged incident is “unrelated to his employment at the Alliance.” Asked if she was surprised by the charges, she said that she “cannot and would not” comment, citing employee confidentiality.

Hope’s Facebook page says that  he works at the Alliance for Positive Health as a behavioral health educator. The Alliance’s website says the Behavioral Health Education program provides screenings, referrals, and psychoeducational interventions to people living with HIV/AIDS, “with the goal of helping people access mental health and substance abuse treatment services.”

The Alliance for Positive Health, which has offices in Schenectady and Albany, was formerly known as the AIDS Council. Hope’s Facebook page says that he started working there in 2014.

His Facebook page suggests that he has a long history doing social work with not-for-profit organizations.

He has also worked, according to his Facebook page, as a preschool teacher at Stepping Stones Child Care Center; a clinical social worker at Fred Finch Youth Center; an associate clinical social worker at ABC Family Solutions; a direct support professional at Good Shepherd Communities; and a social worker and crisis counselor at Crisis Response Project. Many of those organizations are in California.

Hope studied community mental health at California State University, East Bay, and psychology at Iowa State University, his Facebook page says. He is originally from Winterset, Iowa.

The scholarship that he received is named for Matthew Shepard, a young gay man who was beaten, tortured, tied to a fence, and left to die near Laramie, Wyoming in 1998. His death inspired the United States Congress to expand the definition of hate crimes to include those motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or identity.

“Justin L. Hope received a Matthew Shepard Scholarship as a graduating high school senior in Winterset, Iowa in 2003. He earned a college degree in psychology, minoring in Child, Adult and Family Services in 2008 from Iowa State University, and later a master’s degree in social work from California State University, East Bay at Hayward, California. All of his activities and conduct of which we are familiar were honorable,” wrote Rich Eychaner, founder of the Eychaner Foundation, in an email when contacted by The Enterprise.

Eychaner continued, “The alleged incident, and Justin, both deserve a thorough and complete investigation, with the presumption of innocence until resolved in a court of law. Our heart goes out to both people involved during the investigation and thereafter.”

The state’s Justice Center for Protection of People with Special Needs is authorized to investigate reports of abuse and neglect and to pursue administrative sanctions against staff found responsible for misconduct. Its special prosecutor shares jurisdiction with local district attorneys to prosecute allegations of criminal offense.

Supervising Assistant Special Prosecutor Rachel Dunn is prosecuting the Hope case, which was investigated by Justice Center investigator Johanna Whitney.

The center also provides guidance and information to victims and their families or representatives about the reporting and investigation process, offers support during criminal proceedings, and is available to accompany victims during interviews and court appearances.