SF Cuts Millions from Homeless Nonprofit HomeRise Amid Scandal and Local Fiscal Accountability Push
San Francisco's Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing is cutting millions in funding to HomeRise, a major homeless housing provider, after a scandal involving a former CEO charged with stealing $12 million in public funds (2024, San Francisco District Attorney). The cuts reflect a broader local fiscal accountability drive, not a direct Project 2025 enactment, though the austerity framing aligns with that federal playbook.
San Francisco's decision to strip millions from HomeRise is a concrete local action driven by a contract non-renewal from the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, citing mismanagement and lack of measurable outcomes. The $12 million theft charge against HomeRise's former CEO (2024) spurred the audit that led to the cuts. For people experiencing homelessness, this means lost housing placements; for Daylight, it's a case study in how local fiscal discipline can tighten margins without being a formal Project 2025 policy.
The humanitarian alternative
Instead of cutting funding entirely, San Francisco should implement a performance-based accountability system with transparency and oversight, not blanket defunding. The city could require HomeRise to hire an independent fiscal monitor, renegotiate contracts with stricter reporting requirements, and tie future funding to verifiable housing placement and retention metrics. This approach maintains the policy goal of reducing homelessness while ensuring taxpayer dollars are effectively used — a middle ground between the current broken system and the Project 2025-style slash-and-burn approach.
Falsifiable predictions
What this entry claims will happen, and what data would prove it wrong. The Reckoner revisits these against current reality.
- Within 90 days, HomeRise will lay off at least 10% of its staff due to the funding cuts.
- Within six months, San Francisco will see a measurable increase in unsheltered homelessness in neighborhoods previously served by HomeRise housing.
- One year from now, at least two other major U.S. cities will cite San Francisco's move as a model for cutting homeless nonprofit contracts, aligning with federal P2025 guidance.
Grounded in
Original source — excerpted
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