A Tulare group home for girls and young women aged 11-21 has allegedly been a nexus for reports of fights, underage intoxication, vandalism, and sexual trafficking of minors by minors, according to the City of Tulare. City officials are now trying to shut it down, at least temporarily, after the home was the subject of 100 police calls for service in a four month period.
The home is located in the Del Lago neighborhood of Tulare, nestled between family homes. Neighbors have told the Tulare City Council and the Valley Voice that its residents are out of control and have had a negative effect on the surrounding area.
Tulare City Attorney Mario Zamora filed a Complaint for Nuisance Abatement against the home’s operators and the property’s owner on October 21, which could potentially shut down the facility until its inhabitants can be controlled.
Zamora told the Voice that the city initially sent letters to Scott’s Social Services, which operates the home, and the home’s landlord in September without response, but that discussions are now underway with the property’s owner.
“We have received a response from the property management company on behalf of the owner and we are discussing a resolution,” Zamora said.
He also told the Voice that city officials had reached out to the home’s regulator, the California Department of Social Services, as well as state legislators to try and resolve the problems the home’s residents are causing their neighbors.
“The City has reached out to the Dept of Social Services and to my knowledge, we have received no response,” Zamora said. “In addition, staff also reached out to the City’s State Assembly and Senate members and we have received an acknowledgement of the issue.”
Representatives with Scott’s Social Services did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Representatives with the California Department of Social Services were unable to provide a response by publication time. When responses are received, this article will be updated.
City says home is “maintaining a safe haven for illegal and other activities”
The home – legally referred to as a Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) – is operated by Scott’s Social Services. The organization has two facilities in Bakersfield and one in Tulare.
The STRTP operates out of a rented residence and was provisionally licensed by the state to hold up to six residents in December 2024.
Scott’s Social Services states that their homes provide “a well-structured and positively focused program for girls, offering 24/7/365 supervision to address substance abuse and serious emotional and behavioral challenges,” that they have “two decades of experience,” and that they serve “girls ages 11-18 and non-minor dependents ages 18-21.”
According to records provided by the City of Tulare, the home has been the subject of 100 police calls for service between June 29 and October 17, 2025. The vast majority of police calls to the home are for missing persons – and most occur between 7PM and 12AM. State regulations allow the home to have only one staff member present between 10PM to 7AM.
Calls for “Disturbing the Peace” were another major category, with sixteen logged.
The city’s legal filing lists multiple incidents allegedly connected to the facility’s residents, including:
- On July 26, after running away, becoming intoxicated, returning, and attempting to light herself on fire, a girl at the facility told police she was raped 2-4 days earlier when she “went to hangout and smoke at a nearby park with another juvenile resident” and an unknown man raped her. She also claimed she was being trafficked by another girl at the facility,
- Police responded to an August 25 fight in which one underage resident allegedly stabbed another with a sharp comb, and the two residents subsequently armed themselves with glass and a fire extinguisher,
- One underage girl at the facility was allegedly having sex with an adult man in Tulare in exchange for alcohol. She allegedly trafficked another underage girl at the facility, arranging for her to have sex with the man in exchange for alcohol. On July 23, the second girl informed police about the incident, and the man was arrested and charged.
Attorneys for the city claim that even more cases have gone unreported, and some victims in the surrounding area refused prosecution of cases due to a fear of retaliation.
The August 25 incident’s aftermath was documented by Visalia Stringer, where footage shows a woman lying on the ground surrounded by multiple police cars and a LifeStar ambulance parked across the street.
According to court records, Tulare resident Amrinder Singh was arrested and charged with the July 23 incident. He pleaded not guilty to felony rape, felony unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, and providing compensation for sex.
Singh “proceeded to have sexual intercourse with the victim after she refused consent and [told] the subject she was scared and didn’t want to,” a probable cause statement by the Tulare Police Department alleges. “The victim is 14 years of age. Upon speaking to the suspect, he confirmed to believing the victim was under the age of 18 and said she looked young, despite [what] she was telling him.”
Neighbors, city react to home’s impact
Multiple residents told the Voice that Scott’s Social Services introduced chaos to the neighborhood. They asked that their names not be published due to a fear of retaliation.
“Everyone’s quality of life has gone down since the group home opened. It’s been pretty terrible since they moved in,” one Del Lago resident said.
“There are a lot of elderly that are fearful to open the door,” a neighbor said. “There is a special needs child that, every time the police or ambulance sirens come down the street, he has a seizure. He recently had to be taken to [Valley] Children’s Hospital.”
“They fight like hell with each other and then yell at the neighbors,” a resident said. “When the police show up, such as for the recent stabbing, they fight with the cops right in their front yard.”
The home’s neighbors also began speaking at Tulare City Council meetings, with the first mention of the home at the August 19, 2025 meeting.
“This has had a real, incredible impact on our neighborhood, it has been a nuisance since the day it opened, and it’s a significant hardship for us, and we are urgently requesting that you help us remove this problem from our neighborhood,” said Rodney Klassen, a law enforcement officer and neighborhood resident, at the Tulare City Council’s August 19 meeting.
“These kids loitered in front of a neighbor’s yard smoking marijuana, they were asked to leave and refused to do so – it took a counselor more than 20 or 30 minutes to get them back into their group home,” he said. “They drink alcoholic beverages in the back yard of the group home and they toss their containers over the fence into a neighbor’s back yard. That neighbor has small children with special needs.”
State law forces city to be reactive, not proactive
Tulare’s City Manager, Marc Mondell, told Klassen and the city council that state legislators had tied Tulare’s hands in responding to the problem.
“The legislature’s perspective – I don’t want to speak for the legislature, I’m only trying to interpret their perspective – is these individuals have to go somewhere, so they’re going to make it so that they can go anywhere,” Mondell said.
When a group home comes into a city, they’re often the last to know, Assistant City Manager Thomas W. Gaffery IV said. State law doesn’t allow for land use restrictions on the homes, and group homes aren’t even required to obtain a business license, he added.
City officials did say that they were able to still enforce other parts of city code and law on the home – including nuisance laws. That, eventually, led to the nuisance lawsuit being filed on October 21.
Klassen spoke again at the October 7 meeting.
“We have video of one of them coming out of that house, out of the front door, and going immediately to where a rock had been stashed, and picking a rock up and threatening to throw it at one of the other kids,” he said.
Klassen then said that a neighbor had found a straight razor laying next to a utility box in the neighborhood – where he says the children often sit at 10 or 11pm at night.
“The way they’re most commonly used by that type of mentality is to slash the face and neck, and slashing the neck can be very lethal. So, we’re very concerned not only about the violence they will commit on each other, but when they may turn that violence onto the other neighbors as well,” he said.
Scott’s Social Services and other homes
STRTPs are licensed by the California Department of Social Services to provide “short-term, specialized, and intensive therapeutic and 24-hour care and supervision to children.” Children can be placed in the homes by county welfare departments, probation departments, or tribal organizations.
Only four Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program facilities exist in Tulare County:
- Scott’s Social Services’ Tulare home, licensed since December 2024, treating “girls ages 11-18 and non-minor dependents ages 18-21,” with a maximum capacity of 6,
- Courage to Change, a ranch in Exeter licensed since 1998, treating boys 13-18 with a maximum capacity of 16,
- Two homes operated by Success in Recovery, licensed since 2003 and 2011, treating boys 13-17 with a maximum capacity of 6 each.
Although the Scott’s Social Services’ facility in Tulare has been licensed since 2024, its Bakersfield homes have been licensed since 2020 and 2021.
State officials publish statistics on citations given to all licensed facilities – separated by “Type A,” citations for an immediate risk to health, safety, or personal rights, and “Type B,” citations for a potential risk – for the last 60 months.
The Scott’s Social Services’ Tulare home has been given five Type A citations and seven Type B citations in the short time it’s been open, compared to:
- Two Type A and two Type B citations for Success in Recovery’s first home,
- Five Type A and Type B citations for Success in Recovery’s second home,
- Five Type A and fourteen Type B citations for Courage to Change, which has more than double the residents of the other homes.
Eight of the citations in Tulare stemmed from an unannounced inspection on July 22, 2025, which found:
- The facility was understaffed at certain periods, with only one staff member available for four children during times that two staff members were required,
- A shed containing cleaning chemicals was unlocked and potentially accessible to residents,
- Health screenings of staff members were not documented, as required by law,
- Some windows were missing screens, a bathroom had a crack in the wall, and a hallway wall had a hole,
- A monthly log of manual restraints, required by law, was not maintained,
- Training required by law was not completed for at least some staff members,
- No written records were kept of staff training, required by law, were kept
- No “emergency binder” containing an emergency/disaster plan, required by state law, was created.
Husband and wife team made $530,992 from multiple nonprofits in 2023
All STRTPs must be run on a nonprofit basis and governed by a Board of Directors, according to state regulations. Most tax returns by a nonprofit are public, including revenue, expenses, assets, liabilities, and compensation to key employees.
Robert and Tiffany Carter are the CEO and CFO of Scott’s Social Services, respectively. On the organization’s website, they boast of their experience helping children through STRTPs and social work. They’re also listed as “Key Employees” on the organization’s tax return.
Scott’s Social Services’ most recent tax returns available are for 2023. In that filing, Tiffany and Robert were listed the only “Key Employees” paid by the organization, and the organization’s payroll for other employees, such as support staff, is broken out separately.
Their income from the organization is higher than “Key Employees” from other nonprofits running STRTPs in Tulare County.
Success in Recovery only paid one “Key Employee” in 2023 – its CEO – and paid him $170,252. It also operated two homes with a combined capacity of 12 residents.
Courage to Change paid its “Key Employees” a total of $224,325 in 2023, according to its filing. The organization only operated one facility with a capacity of 16 residents.
Tiffany was paid $260,000 by Scott’s Social Services, and Robert was paid $169,992, for a combined payout of $429,992. In 2023, Scott’s Social Services operated two homes with a combined capacity of 12 residents.
Scott’s Social Services’ CEO Robert Carter also earned funds from other STRTPs at the same time.
In 2023, he was listed as a STRTP Director for James Penny House, a Bakersfield group home, and was paid $101,000.
Robert Carter is also currently listed as an Executive Vice-President of Kern Bridges Youth Homes, and as the organization’s STRTP Director. He was paid $122,977 by Kern Bridges in 2024, according to Kern Bridges’ tax filings.
Next steps in Tulare cases
A hearing on the city’s request for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for January 29, 2026 in Department 1 of the Tulare County Superior Court in Visalia.
Singh’s arraignment is scheduled for November 14, 2025 for his felony charges – as well as a new charge of contacting a minor with sexual intent.
Nice one, I just did the Autumn Oaks Elderly Care one out here in Porterville with the Ong couple running it.
It really makes you wonder about local county and regional/state oversight when it comes to all this shit, and what people get paid for exactly?
Where is Tim Ward and the DA’s role in all of this? At what point does the county need a better grand jury or board of supervisors that know how to run a county and keep it running in its basic social duties? Is this HHSA’s ultimate responsibility? I think all these young women deserve a class action lawsuit against both Donna Ortiz director of HHSA and the County itself.
This is not the fault of the county or the DAs office. Fault for this group home disaster falls on the state. They passed a law allowing for these group home to be placed anywhere without any consultation with the city or county, or with the neighborhood. As far as Sacramento is concerned they can place these group homes anywhere they want.
“Rodney, you’re right that state law created the framework that allowed this home to open without local consultation, and that has clearly handcuffed the city’s ability to be proactive. The city officials are correct about that.
However, to place the fault solely on the state legislature in Sacramento is to let the truly responsible parties off the hook. This isn’t just a state problem; it’s a cascade of local and state failures.
The primary fault lies with Scott’s Social Services. State law didn’t force them to be understaffed. It didn’t force them to leave chemical sheds unlocked or fail to create an emergency plan. It didn’t force them to pay their executives $430,000 while their facility descended into chaos with 100 police calls, including reports of sexual trafficking and violence. This is a case of profound and dangerous negligence by the operator.
Where is our local law enforcement leadership? With reports of felony sexual assault, trafficking of a minor, and a stabbing, a serious criminal investigation is warranted. We have to ask: at what point does District Attorney Tim Ward get involved beyond just prosecuting the one outside individual who was arrested? The pattern of activity described suggests a environment where serious crimes are occurring. The DA’s office has a responsibility to investigate whether the operators of the home are criminally liable for endangering these children or facilitating a environment that led to these crimes.
The County’s HHSA has a direct, fiduciary duty to these children. These girls are placed in this home by the county’s welfare system. Donna Ortiz, as the Director of HHSA, is ultimately responsible for their well-being. Her agency is the “customer” paying for this service. The conditions described—sexual assault, violence, runaways—represent a catastrophic failure in the county’s duty to provide a safe placement. The question for Director Ortiz is: What monitoring did HHSA have in place, and why were these vulnerable children left in a facility that was so clearly out of control? As a commenter noted, this looks like a strong case for a lawsuit against the county for failing in its basic social duties.
The state’s Department of Social Services failed in its duty to oversee. The state didn’t just pass a law and walk away. It tasked the DSS with licensing and monitoring. For the DSS to issue multiple ‘immediate risk’ citations and for the City Attorney to get no response from them is an epic regulatory failure. The state’s own enforcement mechanism broke down.
So, while the state law is the backdrop, the actual disaster was caused by a negligent operator, an absent state regulator, and a failure by our local county leadership—specifically HHSA Director Donna Ortiz and DA Tim Ward—to use their full authority to protect these children and the community. We need to demand accountability from all of them, not just blame a distant legislature.”
The same oversight needs to be examined in the City of Tulare and the handling of funds that was spent on the homeless encampment, that they had the nerve to name “Tulare Cares.” I have no doubt some Tulareans lined their pockets while they set up a shit hole for the homeless community, even boasting about what a great thing they did.
The problem with this group home is that there is no oversight at the state level and the state does not allow the city or county to have any say in the matter. State law allows them to dump a group home in any neighborhood. These teenagers are completely out of control and they run right over the minimum wage, poorly trained staff that is supposed to be in charge.
“Kelly, you raise a critical point that gets to the heart of the matter: the fundamental need for transparent and accountable government.
Your mention of ‘Tulare Cares’ and the questions about where the funds went for the homeless encampment is a perfect example of a pattern we should all be worried about. When large sums of public money are involved, whether for homeless services or for placing vulnerable children in group homes, there must be ironclad oversight to ensure funds are used properly and services are delivered as promised. The fear that someone “lined their pockets” while the community got a “shit hole” is exactly the kind of cynicism that erodes public trust. I will be looking into ‘Tulare Cares’ to research what exactly happened there.
This is directly relevant to the Scott’s Social Services disaster. As the article shows, the CEO and CFO of that organization paid themselves over $430,000 while their facility was so understaffed and poorly run that it became a danger to the residents and the neighborhood. This is not about blaming the staff on the front lines; it’s about holding the highly-paid executives and the officials who are supposed to be watching them accountable.
That’s why we can’t just blame “the state” in a general sense, as some are doing. We have to demand action from our local leaders who have the power to act now:
District Attorney Tim Ward has the power to investigate if the negligence and conditions at this home rise to the level of criminal endangerment.
HHSA Director Donna Ortiz has the power to pull county-placed children out of this dangerous environment and answer for why her agency’s monitoring failed.
The failure of ‘Tulare Cares’ (if that is what happened) and the failure of this group home are two symptoms of the same disease: a lack of aggressive, local accountability. We need to demand that our local officials—from the DA to the HHSA to the Board of Supervisors—use every tool at their disposal to protect our community, whether it’s from misspent funds or a dangerously run group home.”
(https://paulfloreswriter.wordpress.com/2025/11/10/tulare-cares-temporary-encampment/)