Housing Opportunities for Women Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
363263818
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
7734655770
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Temporary Housing

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$11,771,117
Expenses
$12,452,131
Assets
$9,441,856
Liabilities
$6,188,193

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • URVI SHAH (PRESIDENT)
  • DENIS PIERCE (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • BRITT SHAWVER (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • BRITT SHAWVER (CEO): $198,029 total reported compensation
  • CARIN WEINGARTEN (INTERIM DIRECTOR OF FINANC): $195,488 total reported compensation
  • CASSIDY STEIN (ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR): $147,967 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Housing opportunities for women, inc.'s ("how") mission is to empower women, children and families to permanently break the cycle of poverty and homelessness. For the1,000 individuals how serves every year we provide permanentsupportive housing, help individuals increase their income and accessto benefits and improve our clients to overcome the multiple barriersthat often prevent homeless individuals from achieving their highestand best potential.

What it reported doing in 2025

Housing opportunities for women, inc. ("how") has been providing permanent solutions to the issues of homelessness and poverty since 1983 through the development of affordable and supportive housing for the growing number of vulnerable households who experience housing instability. How also provides an array of programs that address the barriers to maintaining stable housing and economic independence including employment support, case management, substance abuse recovery support, health counseling and guidance, youth development and education and housing loss prevention. In 2025, how provided services to 715 households, representing 1,482 individuals and children. At the core of how's success is its ability to provide 395 units of affordable housing to individuals and families that have experienced or are at risk of, homelessness. In addition to partnering with almost 120 private landlords to provide subsidized housing, how owns and operates two supportive housing apartment buildings, greenview and cornell, and controls three not-for-profit corporations which provide housing.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 86% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 48% for direct work, and 52% for grants.

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 total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 85
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 18
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 90.3%; rating input score 90
  • Program expense ratio: 85.3%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $25.97 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 20th 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: -5.8%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.76; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.66; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.4%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.6% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.4% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 90.3% of revenue deployed · 85.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 12 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $10.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $198K · 16 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 3 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 9/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 21/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 16/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 46/100.