Gateway Housing First Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
471099681
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2014, Form 990-N 2013
Location
St Louis, MO, USA
Phone
3146092915
Rating
92
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Residential Care & Adult Day Programs

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,566,792
Expenses
$2,397,765
Assets
$2,425,962
Liabilities
$1,627,212

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOE YANCEY (PRESIDENT)
  • CYNTHIA DUFFE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • CYNTHIA DUFFE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $83,667 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of gateway housing first, inc. Is to provide safe, high-quality, affordable, supportive housing to individuals and families challenged by a wide range of disabilities, complex disorders and life situations who are often impacted by chronic homelessness, generational poverty, trauma and systemic racism.

What it reported doing in 2024

Gateway housing first's (ghf) housing and housing programs respond to the well-documented, pressing unmet need for permanent, affordable supported housing for individuals and families affected by a wide range of complex disorders and life situations who need supports and accommodations to secure and maintain housing. Guided by the values and outcomes achieved by housing first and harm reduction programs, ghf's immediate focus is on increasing housing solutions for the "most vulnerable" in our region, eliminating "housing readiness" barriers to ensure equal access to available housing solutions, fostering leveraging partnerships with existing social services agencies to provide tenants with the services needed to ensure housing success. We execute our mission across two tandem tracks: (1) through the acquisition and new construction development of permanent supported housing owned and operated by ghf and (2) by increasing the availability of and access to tenant-based rental assistance and then pairing that assistance for those most in need through outreach and engagement. Gateway housing first operates 10 affordable supported housing communities in st. Louis city and county totaling 201 units, 7 of which are owned by ghf affiliated single asset corporations or partnerships, 2 are owned fee simple by ghf and 1 is mastered leased from a third-party. Our array of supported housing options include: sro units as well as efficiency, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartments, and 3-bedroom townhomes. Ghf also operates several permanent supportive housing scattered-site leasing programs, including coc shelter plus care, providing on-going tenant-based rental assistance and housing stability case management supports to approximately 90 households at any given time. In the spring of 2021, to further contribute to our community-wide efforts to respond to the impacts of the pandemic that disproportionately impacted extremely low-income households impacted by disabilities and chronic homelessness, we expanded our programming to include a hud esg-cv funded rapid rehousing program that bridges chronically homeless, disabled households from homelessness to housing by providing 1 year rental assistance available through covid relief funds and then working to transitioning them to the less prevalent yet needed on-going rental assistance and support services prior to the expiration of their covid assistance. Throughout the year, 100% of those housed in ghf housing or through one of our scattered site leasing programs in the subject year were unhoused or at imminent risk of homelessness prior to engagement in our housing programs.100% of those served by ghf have a history of homelessness and were extremely low-income and either unhoused or at imminent risk of homelessness at initial engagement. Over 96% of those served remain housed today.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 68% for direct work, and 32% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 46
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86.8%; rating input score 87
  • Program expense ratio: 92.9%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: $94.52 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 6.6%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.01; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.67; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.5%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 23.4% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 21.3% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 86.8% of revenue deployed · 92.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $2.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $84K · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2015 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 8 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 55/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Whistleblower policy not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 37/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 14/100.