Covenant House

What it reported doing in 2024

- street outreachin vans and on foot, covenant house outreach workers go out to the neighborhoods, riverfronts, parks, and other places where youth facing homelessness often seek refuge and offer them food, resources, and counseling. Through sustained contact, our outreach workers build trust with young people, encouraging them to come into our shelters and connect to our programs and services. In fiscal year 2025, we served 5,700 young people through our outreach programs.- human trafficking survivorsof the thousands of young people who find safety and sanctuary at covenant house, our research indicates that approximately one in five youth residing at our u.s. And canadian sites and more than one in two at our latin american sites are survivors of human trafficking. Young people experiencing homelessness are vulnerable to traffickers, who prey on their need for love, support, a safe place to sleep, and food, to create a trauma bond with them. Covenant house has pioneered intake screening tools to quickly reveal a history of trafficking that, otherwise, young people may be reluctant to name. We meet trafficking survivors' immediate needs for nutritious food, clothing, shelter, safety, and medical care. And we recognize their unique needs for extra levels of protection, including safe spaces at all our sites and safe houses at our sites in toronto, canada; tegucigalpa, honduras; and guatemala city and san juan del obispo, guatemala. We also provide rigorous mental health care to help them process their experiences and reclaim their potential. Covenant house advocates at the local, state, and national levels for trafficking survivors, promoting legislation to protect them and their rights and bringing criminal cases against their traffickers whenever possible. - health and well-beinghomelessness impacts a young person's physical and mental well-being in many ways, and because youth are still developing cognitively, physically, psychologically, and emotionally, those impacts can have deep effects. This is even more so for young people of color and those who identify as lgbtq+, as they face unique challenges associated with racism and prejudice. Covenant house welcomes all young people facing homelessness with unconditional love and absolute respect and provides them with access to a range of health and well-being services that they can use to heal and rediscover their potential. Our trauma-informed, strength-based programs and services range from medical care at our on-site health centers to therapy, yoga classes, music lessons, religious and spiritual services, and sports. In these activities, young people retake control over their lives, build on their strengths, and nourish their self-confidence. In fiscal year 2025, youth made 17,000 visits to our on-site medical services, and 3,300 young people engaged in mental health services. - aftercare and permanent housingcovenant house supports young people on their journey from crisis care to independence in an ongoing relationship that bolsters their capacity for independent living and prevents their return to homelessness. Our drop-in services for physical and mental health care and educational, vocational, and legal support remain available to many. We also help youth secure permanent housing by covering a portion of their rent, a portion that dwindles as their capacity for independence increases. Community apartments and rapid rehousing programs are an increasingly important part of our housing solutions, as are new models of affordable-for-youth housing such as our linden commons and olive tree commons in California. In fiscal year 2025, we supported 850 youth in permanent housing.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 79.9%; rating input score 80
• Program expense ratio: 78.1%; rating input score 78
• Fundraising efficiency: $8.14 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
  • Requires narrative reports: Fail
  • Conducts field audits: Fail
  • May suspend future funding: Fail
  • Requires financial reports: Fail
  • Conducts site visits: Fail
  • Requires grant agreements: Fail
  • May require repayment: Fail
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -1.8%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.68; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 5%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings