All you needed to do was drive by this shelter for homeless individuals, and it was clear that San Francisco had been duped, officers say.
There was no new paint job brightening the Oasis Lodge, which homes among the metropolis’s most weak residents. That was simply among the work for which the town was overtly charged however was by no means truly accomplished, the town lawyer says.
A nonprofit that operates shelters and different housing applications throughout San Francisco has been suspended from bidding on new contracts and grants after an investigation revealed it falsified invoices to obtain greater than $100,000, in response to the San Francisco metropolis lawyer’s workplace.
In a written assertion, Metropolis Atty. David Chiu stated he additionally began debarment proceedings in opposition to the nonprofit, Windfall Basis of San Francisco. The proceedings would elevate the suspension to a ban that would last as long as 5 years.
Vernon C. Goins, lawyer for the nonprofit, stated in an electronic mail response to The Occasions that the Windfall Basis was conscious of the allegations and “absolutely cooperating with the town and county of San Francisco investigation” and would take remedial motion the place it was acceptable.
“Any motion by the Metropolis and County of San Francisco to ban, forestall or ban the Windfall Basis of San Francisco from taking part within the procurement course of for contracts or from getting into into contracts instantly or not directly with, or making use of for or receiving grants, from the Metropolis are unfounded and baseless,” he added. “If debarment proceedings are initiated, the Windfall Basis of San Francisco is assured that it’ll efficiently show that it by no means engaged in any willful misconduct as to any Metropolis grant or contract.”
The announcement Monday got here after Chiu’s workplace stated it found that the Windfall Basis falsified invoices in 2022 for work associated to the Oasis Lodge, a shelter for households experiencing homelessness. The San Francisco-based nonprofit, which started working the shelter in 2021, claimed it had painted the skin of the lodge and eliminated deadbolt locks, however no work was truly carried out, officers stated.
In all, the town paid the nonprofit $105,000 for the work it claimed within the invoices.
“There’s a distinction between having challenges with monetary compliance and deliberately defrauding the town and its taxpayers,” Chiu stated. “This nonprofit took over $100,000 of public cash meant to profit individuals experiencing homelessness. That can not be tolerated.”
Within the assertion, the town lawyer’s workplace positioned explicit blame on Kenisha Roach, the Windfall Basis’s director of operations, and Patricia Doyle, its government director, saying they vouched for the invoices by submitting them for fee somewhat than checking to see whether or not the work claimed within the invoices was legit.
“The shortage of recent exterior paint is clear to any one who views the Oasis, not to mention the chief director and director of operations of the nonprofit accountable for working the lodge,” the assertion learn.
Metropolis officers say that fraudulent invoices aren’t Windfall Basis’s solely alleged transgressions.
Final yr in March, the Division of Homelessness and Supportive Housing despatched letters demanding the nonprofit come into compliance after the division acquired complaints from basis employees about wage theft, nepotism, mismanagement and different deficiencies.
“Windfall [Foundation] ignored the clear anti-nepotism provision within the grant settlement” by hiring members of no less than seven totally different households, together with two of the chief director’s youngsters and a baby of the vice chairman of the board of administrators, Chiu stated within the assertion.
The Windfall Basis of San Francisco at present has a number of metropolis grants, largely by means of the Division of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. It additionally receives metropolis funding for working a navigation heart, an interim housing web site, a number of housing subsidy and voucher applications, and supportive companies for individuals experiencing homelessness.
Metropolis officers stated the suspension didn’t robotically terminate the nonprofit’s present grant agreements with the town, however it might be grounds to cancel them. Monday’s motion shouldn’t be anticipated to have any impact on companies.
