ALBANY – The embattled community organization ACORN abruptly suspended some programs and ordered new training for its workers this afternoon in effort to stem growing outrage over its activities.
ACORN announced the steps one day after top city and state officials moved to freeze funding to the sprawling community group while Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes probes questionable conduct by its employees.
The furor was ignited last week when two employees in ACORN’s Brooklyn office were caught in an nationwide hidden-camera sting giving illicit financial advice to a young couple who said they wanted to start a brothel.
“We have all been deeply disturbed by what we’ve seen in some of these videos,” Bertha Lewis, CEO of the national ACORN group, said in a statement. “We will go to whatever lengths necessary to reestablish the public trust. We must get this process right, so the good work can go forward.”
Lewis said an independent advisory council appointed earlier this year by ACORN would name an outside investigator “to conduct a thorough review of all of the organizations relevant systems and processes.”
The organization has also ordered new training for all “frontline” workers in the next 48 hours for its grant-funded loan advice, foreclosure counseling and tax preparation services. In the meantime, ACORN has suspended all new intakes for the programs.
ACORN has received at least $1.5 million in pork barrel grants from city and state lawmakers in the last four years to fund the services.
brendan.scott@nypost.com