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SF nonprofit meant to help unhoused community accused of fraud after $100K 'disappeared'

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SF nonprofit meant to help unhoused community accused of fraud after 0K 'disappeared'


SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — San Francisco nonprofit Providence Foundation is being accused of fraud.

“We discovered through our investigation that Providence was defrauding the city by submitting false invoices and as a result over $100,000 dollars of public monies that were supposed to benefit individuals experiencing homelessness were not being used for their proper purpose and has disappeared,” said Chiu.

San Francisco city attorney David Chiu said their findings are just the beginning of their push for accountability.

Multiple fake invoices collecting more than $100K led San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu to take action against Providence Foundation

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“Our office is going to be seeking the debarment and suspension of a nonprofit called Providence Foundation. Providence Foundation for a number of years has been providing services to the city to address the needs of families who are homeless,” said Chiu.

MORE: Oakland nursing home faces lawsuit alleging rape, neglect and fraud after ‘hiding problems’

The invoices were submitted in 2022 for painting of the exterior of the Oasis Hotel and the removal of locks at the hotel. The city’s attorney’s office discovered that work was never done.

“Our action today starts the process to insure that providence is not able to apply for future contracts. It is up to the city as we are reviewing this if the current contracts would end,” said Chiu.

Providence Foundation operates the Oasis Hotel a shelter for families experiencing homelessness.

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Providence receives city funds to operate a navigation center, as well as multiple housing subsidy and voucher programs. For years they have received grants through the city’s department of homelessness and supportive housing.

MORE: How could the US Supreme Court’s case Grants Pass v. Johnson impact SF’s unhoused community?

The case City of Grants Pass v. Johnson is the most significant case on homelessness in more than 40 years.

In a statement the city’s department said in part:

“HSH will be reviewing each contract on a program-by-program basis to determine the best way to continue seamless services for the guests and tenants in these programs.”

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“I think it’s very unfortunate the nonprofit contractors do wrong to the city but I think it’s almost foreseeable when you have the avalanche of new programs and new contractors coming in and the city wanting to get more contractors involved and not really scrutinize those,” said Randy Shaw, Director Tenderloin Housing Clinic.

Shaw, Director Tenderloin Housing Clinic the leading provider of permanent supportive housing for homeless single adults in San Francisco is concerned about what these findings will mean for other nonprofits like his.

“Social media is filled with tweets about corrupt nonprofits in the homeless sector but reality is that there are a lot of nonprofits involved and these are still a small number and they give us all a bad name. It’s really unfortunate,” said Shaw.

Our Data Team found that San Francisco has awarded over $213 million to nonprofits in the housing and homelessness sector for contracts starting in 2023 to present.

The city attorney’s office said they will continue their investigation

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“Our office we will continue to root out bad actors who take advantage of our public resources we will fine you. We will cut off your funding and hold you accountable,” said Chiu.

We went to the Providence Foundation office for comment and their staff closed their doors. At the time of the publication of this article Providence Foundation did not respond.

MORE: Reformed Nigerian scammer describes how he swindled $70,000 from Bay Area victims

HSH Full statement:

“The Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) has had a long-standing partnership with the Providence Foundation of San Francisco to provide shelter, housing assistance and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness, particularly in the Bayview and Fillmore neighborhoods. Providence has played a critical role in serving the unhoused community in these neighborhoods.

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Providence, like many other small community-based organizations, has at times struggled to maintain compliance with all the City’s contracting requirements. HSH has worked closely with them for years to build their capacity and comply with City requirements because of the important work that they do.

However last fall a series of serious allegations came out from Providence’s own staff about possible fraud, wage theft, and mismanagement. The Providence staff, seeking support and guidance, brought these concerns to us as well as to Office of Labor Standards and the City Attorney’s Office.

The City Attorney’s office launched their own investigation into the situation and have issued a debarment letter to Providence which will make them ineligible for future City contracts for up to 5 years. The debarment does not require that HSH immediately end existing contracts with Providence, HSH will be reviewing each contract on a program-by-program basis to determine the best way to continue seamless services for the guests and tenants in these programs.

HSH’s ultimate responsibility is to the guests and tenants in these programs and we are working diligently to ensure that clients continue to receive the shelter, housing, and services they need.”

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San Francisco, CA

What have San Francisco police been doing at 16th and Mission?

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What have San Francisco police been doing at 16th and Mission?


It’s been nearly 300 days since Mayor Daniel Lurie announced a plan to clean up the 16th Street BART Plaza.

To mark the occasion, Mission Local is adding a new tool for tracking his promises: A dashboard, updated daily, that notes the arrests and citations issued by San Francisco police officers in a 300-meter radius around 16th and Mission streets.

Our dashboard uses daily incident reports filed by officers to track the enforcement of common violations, including drug-related offenses or disorderly conduct. 

The San Francisco Police Department releases incident reports with a 24-hour lag. Our dashboard updates daily at noon to include the most current data: Arrests and citations issued the day before. 

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While the number of incident reports may form the basis of official crime statistics, it would be wrong to think of them as the “official” count, according to the SFPD. There are groups doing outreach work in the plazas, like Ahsing Solutions, that do not regularly release public data quantifying their activities, for example. 

What this police data does show, over time, is where the police department is focusing resources and attention.

For example, reports show that in March 2025, after Lurie stated his intention to crack down around 16th and Mission streets, there was a massive spike in arrests and citations. This does not necessarily mean drug-related crimes increased in the vicinity, but simply that, spurred by the mayor’s statement, police officers began enforcing more proactively.

Use our interactive graphics to explore the number and reasons for arrests and citations issued, and keep tabs on trends in SFPD’s enforcement around the 16th Street BART plaza.

You can read our ongoing coverage of the crackdown on 16th Street plaza here.

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Arrests and citations issued in last 6 months around 16th and Mission

You can access our archive, with arrests and citations data from 2018, here.

The calendar below shows a snapshot of the arrests and citations issued around a 300-meter radius of the 16th Street BART Plaza for the last six months. 

The darker the date, the more arrests and citations took place that day. 

The department continuously updates the status of incident reports as they are investigated, and it is possible that the official statistics reported by SFPD to the California Department of Justice may differ from our numbers. 

The data below should be considered the most accurate moment-in-time representation of arrests and citations on the day they were filed. Hover over each date to see the reasons for each arrest or citation. 

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Drug incidents around 16th and Mission

Arrests and citations issued for drug-related offenses skyrocketed earlier this year, after Mayor Lurie made the plaza one of his targets to show how the city can make a difference. 

Explore the number of drug-related arrests and citations issued by SFPD around 16th and Mission each month since 2018. 

Data for the most recent month will always be incomplete (and consequently lower) because it includes only arrests and citations through yesterday, while previous months reflect full monthly totals.

Drug incidents at 16th and Mission vs. citywide  

In most years, the area around 16th and Mission accounts for a majority of the Mission’s drug-related police enforcement. 

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In the spring of 2025, this area, which accounts for a mere 0.2 percent of the city’s geographical landmass, was responsible for nearly 27 percent of San Francisco’s drug incident reports that resulted in an arrest or citation.

During the pandemic, drug-related arrests and citations dropped to an all-time-low around 16th and Mission but it has recently surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

Most common incidents around 16th and Mission

The table below shows the top 15 offense categories at 16th and Mission, ranked by total number of arrests and citations, over the past 12 months. The sparkline — the small line chart — shows how each category has changed month to month, and the percentage compares the current year to the year before.

We use a rolling 12-month window (365 days from yesterday’s date), rather than a calendar year, so the data stays current. Because the dashboard updates daily, the most recent month will always be incomplete, but using a full year of data minimizes the impact of any one partial month on the overall totals. 

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15 injured after San Francisco cable car comes to screeching halt

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15 injured after San Francisco cable car comes to screeching halt


More than a dozen people were injured when a cable car in San Francisco came to a screeching halt on Monday afternoon, rattling passengers inside, according to authorities.

A total of 15 people suffered minor to moderate injuries after the cable car abruptly stopped without warning and tossed around those onboard, the San Francisco Fire Department said on social media.

Over a dozen people were injured when a cable car in San Francisco, Calif., abruptly stopped on Monday afternoon. San Francisco Fire Department

Two people were taken to the hospital with moderate injuries, 11 others were hospitalized with “minor aches and pains,” and two people refused assistance at the scene, authorities said.

Fire officials told ABC7 that an object might have been thrown at the cable car, causing the abrupt stop. Authorities have not officially released information on what led up to the incident.

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Some of the cable car’s windows were completely shattered, according to photos of the aftermath. Video posted by fire officials also captured several ambulances crowded around the stopped cable car.

“Safety for our passengers on all Muni vehicles continues to be our top priority. We’ll be conducting a full review of incident details to ensure continued safety on the cable cars,” SFMTA said in a statement.


Overhead view of law enforcement and emergency vehicles responding to a cable car's abrupt stop on California Street in San Francisco.
Fire officials said an object might have been thrown at the cable car, causing the abrupt stop. AP

Cable cars first began running in San Francisco in the 1870s, and became designated as a National Historic Landmark in the 1960s.

Passengers on the famed tourist attractions do not wear seat belts and often hang off the cars, which are partially open-air.

The SFFD and the SFMTA will investigate the incident.

With Post wires

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This Week: E-Bikes, Happy Hour, Holiday Lights – Streetsblog San Francisco

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This Week: E-Bikes, Happy Hour, Holiday Lights – Streetsblog San Francisco


Here is a list of events this week.

  • Monday/tonight! Introduction to E-Bikes. This is a San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, SFMTA/SFCTA-sponsored virtual class. Monday/tonight, December 15, 6-7 p.m. Register for Zoom link.
  • Tuesday Bike It Forward Community Repair Night. Join the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition as they rehabilitate donated and abandoned bicycles and get them to folks who need them. Tuesday, December 16, 5-7 p.m. San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, 1720 Market Street, S.F.
  • Wednesday Car-Free Happy Hour. This event is open to everyone, whether they’re car free, car light, car-free curious, or they just want to hang out with fellow urbanists. Wednesday, December 17, 5:30-7 p.m. Cornerstone Berkeley, 2367 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley.
  • Thursday Vision Zero Committee Meeting. This committee supports the work of improving street safety in San Francisco. Thursday, December 18, 1 p.m. Union Square Conference Room, Floor 7, SFMTA Headquarters, 1 South Van Ness Avenue, S.F.
  • Thursday Transform Happy Hour with the New Executive Director. Come meet Transform’s new leadership, mingle with like-minded folks, and give your input for Transform’s next chapter. Thursday, December 18, 5:30-8 p.m. Line 51 Brewing Company, 303 Castro Street, Oakland.
  • Friday Alameda Holiday Lights Ride and Christmas Caroling. Ride to see the holiday lights in Alameda. Friday, December 19, 6:30 p.m. meet, 7 p.m. roll out. Finishes at 10 p.m. MacArthur BART, 555 40th Street, Oakland.

Got an event we should know about? Drop us a line.



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