HomeRise to Wind Down Supportive Housing in San Francisco, CA, After Audit Finds Fiscal Mismanagement

HomeRise, a San Francisco nonprofit that provides housing and supportive services, is winding down its operations. One report describes it as one of the city’s largest providers of services to the homeless, and another says the organization has operated for 36 years.

An audit by the city auditor, released in early 2024, found serious fiscal mismanagement, according to a report from sfist.com. That report said the misuse of taxpayer funds included spending on social events, staff bonuses, and other questionable expenses. The audit covered 2019 to 2023 and highlighted systemic issues within the organization.

HomeRise managed 17 properties offering housing and supportive services. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the organization has served more than 1,500 residents across those 17 supportive housing complexes. The Chronicle also reported that HomeRise received nearly $250 million in public funds over the past four years. Yahoo, citing the same reporting, described the funding as almost a quarter billion dollars over a recent four-year period.

The Chronicle reported that one resident was found deceased in his room at the Jazzie Collins Apartments after several days. The announcement of the wind-down came on a Thursday, amid an ongoing investigation by the San Francisco Chronicle and the UC Berkeley Investigative Reporting Program into the deaths and the organization’s financial dysfunction, according to Yahoo. The reports do not state how the death relates to the audit or to HomeRise’s finances.

HomeRise’s board decided to lead an orderly, resident-centered wind-down, the organization announced. According to the announcement as reported by Housing Finance, the process may take up to 24 months. The organization said it will work with San Francisco city and county officials and financial partners to transfer ownership, property management, and supportive services to better-resourced providers, a step that protects the vulnerable as care moves to new hands (Psalm 82:3). The sfist.com and Chronicle reports, by contrast, said the transition is expected to take one to two years. Yahoo reported that city officials must transition operations and supportive services at the 17 complexes, serving more than 1,500 residents, to new providers. The reports differ on who will carry out the transfer, so the division of responsibility should be read from each source.

Residents will stay in their homes, on-site staff will remain in place, and support will continue, according to HomeRise’s announcement.