Urban Alchemy, one of San Francisco’s most prominent homeless services providers, is back in the good graces of the city’s nonprofit monitor after an earlier review found it posed an “increased risk to public funds and client services.”
The San Francisco Controller’s Office notified Urban Alchemy this month that it was back up to par with city standards after previously finding that the organization had not properly tracked the time its employees spent working for the city.
The determination marked a reprieve from the otherwise bad news about Urban Alchemy. The nonprofit, which gives jobs to formerly incarcerated people, has been dogged by questions about its finances and record-keeping practices in San Francisco and in other cities where it has operated. Its workers also face real dangers on the streets: One of them was shot and killed near City Hall in September after he asked someone to stop doing drugs…