SF Housing Nonprofit Spends big on Politics. Tenants Deal With Infestations, Overdoses
Incidents such as overdoses, pest infestations and deteriorating conditions are seemingly ignored while the Tenants and Owners Development Corporation (TODCO) used funds to contribute to political campaigns instead of investing in its buildings.
Joan Harrington, a nonprofit expert and former director at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, said she appreciates TODCO advocating for low-income people, “but I think the question is: How much is that population actually benefiting?"
Harrington says charities “have to do their due diligence” before making such contributions.
“If their mission is to protect their clients and promote housing,” she added, “it is hard to see how their actions are the best way to achieve this.”
“In a nonprofit 501c3, the board is ultimately responsible for the organization,” Harrington said. “They can be sued for things that go awry if they're not meeting their fiduciary duties.”
Joan Harrington, fellow, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, quoted by The San Francisco Standard.