Progressive Nonprofit Stole $115K From Homeless Families

Progressive leaders championed Providence Foundation as proof that their approach to homelessness worked. Now two of its employees are charged with defrauding the very families they claimed to serve—stealing $115,000 while leaving the shelter unpainted and rotting.

Archived tweet

Progressives were bragging about funding this nonprofit. It turns out it's just been fraud. Specifically, stealing from the homeless. https://t.co/j2TZXoegyA https://t.co/8ABs4WJLTv [Quoting @kron4news]: Two former employees of a nonprofit organization were charged this week with defrauding a San Francisco homeless shelter and stealing more than $115,000 in city funding, prosecutors announced. https://t.co/5VmRNq7Thb

Kane 謝凱堯 @kane January 03, 2026

The Grift: $115K for Work That Never Happened

Kenisha Roach served as Director of Operations for Providence Foundation and the Oasis Family Shelter. Robert Lacy Jr. worked as a client engagement manager while running an unlicensed contracting business on the side called “Will Do It Construction.”

According to KRON4, Roach approved hiring Lacy’s business for over $115,000 in “improvements” to the shelter on Franklin Street—improvements that were never performed. The alleged work included exterior painting and removal of deadbolt locks from residents’ rooms.

Meanwhile, Oasis Family Shelter—home to vulnerable women and children—was left unpainted with rust and fungus plaguing the exterior. Both have been charged with felony grand theft, misappropriation of public funds, and presenting fraudulent claims. They pleaded not guilty.

The Progressive Pet Project

Dean Preston’s office piloted the Oasis Inn as the “first shelter-in-place hotel” during COVID, raising over $100,000 in private funds to house homeless families. He took credit for launching what became a citywide model.

In December 2022, the Board of Supervisors passed a unanimous resolution urging preservation of Oasis under Providence Foundation’s operation. The vote was 11-0.

When St. Anthony Foundation acquired the Oasis Inn property in 2023, Preston declared: “As a result, hundreds, if not thousands, of lives will be forever changed.” Mayor Breed praised the “partnership between the City and our local nonprofits” as proof of what collaboration could accomplish.

The fraud was happening during this entire celebration tour.

A Pattern, Not an Anomaly

This isn’t an isolated incident. Fifteen nonprofits are currently under investigation in San Francisco. The city spends $1.6 billion annually on nonprofits—with minimal oversight.

As Kane pointed out, “The amount of money SF gives to unaudited nonprofits which are regularly caught committing fraud is larger than the city’s deficit.”

In 2024—a full two years after the fraud occurred—City Attorney David Chiu finally banned Providence Foundation from bidding on or receiving new city contracts. At the time, Chiu said: “My office’s work to root out bad actors who take advantage of our public resources continues. We will find out about your misdeeds, cut off your funding, and hold you accountable.”

Two years. That’s not oversight. That’s cleanup after the fact.

Who Pays the Price?

The real victims here are homeless women and children who deserved a properly maintained shelter. While Roach and Lacy allegedly pocketed kickbacks, families lived in a building with rust and fungus.

The Board of Supervisors resolution described Oasis as “the only low-barrier option for pregnant people to receive emergency shelter.” These are the most vulnerable San Franciscans—and the homeless industrial complex failed them.

The homeless don’t benefit from this system. The nonprofits and their progressive champions do.

Progressive leaders love to brag about “transformative partnerships” with nonprofits. But when those nonprofits steal from the homeless, where’s the accountability? City Attorney Chiu banned Providence from new contracts—a full two years after the fraud. That’s not oversight. That’s damage control.

San Francisco needs real accountability: regular audits, performance metrics, and consequences BEFORE the money disappears. The homeless deserve better than being props in a grift.

Follow @garrytan for more.