Rank failure

From Did a $100 Million Effort Reduce Homelessness? The Results Are In by Maria Di Mento.  The subheading is San Francisco’s Tipping Point Community pooled big private money to halve chronic homelessness in five years. A new study finds the effort failed to reach that goal, but lessons for philanthropy-government collaborations are rich.

As a general rule grand schemes, whether NGO or government, fail.  Sometimes they simply cost more and don't perform and sometimes they actually make things worse.  

Per this report, in this instance, it is simply a matter of failure.  The data is in the report but you have to dig for it.

A study of a San Francisco nonprofit’s $100 million effort to reduce chronic homelessness by half in five years shows the effort fell significantly short of its goal.

Later.

A government survey found about 6,800 individuals experienced homelessness in San Francisco in 2017; by 2022, the number grew to 7,750.

So in normal project management language, they had five years and $100 million to reduce homelessness from 6,800 people to 3,400 people (a 50% reduction.)  Basically $30,000 per person to be rehoused over five years.  

Five years passed.  They spent all the money.  And homelessness rose to 7,750 (about a 15% increase in homelessness.)  Not to mention that the City of San Francisco had its own programs amounting to $2.8 billion over the same period.  

In normal project management circles, this is considered a rank failure.  In NGO and Governmental circles this is a spur to make excuses and justify yet more spending.