HomeRise, a longtime nonprofit that has worked to move people from homelessness into permanent homes in San Francisco, announced the organization is coming to an end.
Representatives announced the move, saying its board “has decided to lead an orderly resident-centered wind-down of the organization with residents’ housing and services remaining intact. The process may take up to 24 months.”
The organization will work with San Francisco city and county officials and its financial partners to transfer its ownership role, property management, and supportive services in each building to “better-resourced providers.”
The announcement stressed that residents will stay in their homes, on-site staff will remain in place, and support to residents will continue. However, over time, the properties will be owned and operated by other organizations with more scale.
The 36-year-old nonprofit, formerly Community Housing Partnership, had 18 properties in its portfolio and housed more than 1,500 individuals last year, according to its annual impact report.
The move to close comes after the city’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing announced in July it would not renew four of nine service contracts with the organization, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Chronicle and the University of California Berkeley Investigative Reporting Program have been investigating HomeRise, reporting on a resident death, alleged sexual assaults by a staff member, and alleged financial mismanagement.
For the nonprofit, one of the next steps will be to search for a CEO to lead its closure.
In their statement, HomeRise leaders cited the challenges of their work in today’s climate.
“Sustaining that commitment today requires providers with scale, diversified revenue, comprehensive supportive services, and balance-sheet strength. As a single-mission organization, HomeRise is not built to deliver all of that for the long term,” they said. “Our residents deserve partners equipped to meet all of their needs, and the public deserves stewards built to protect its investment for the next generation. Winding down HomeRise and placing these homes with providers built for that scale is how we make sure both happen.”