Human Options Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 953667817
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Irvine, CA, USA
- Phone
- 9497375242
- Rating
- 84
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Family Violence Shelters
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $6,416,687
- Expenses
- $7,312,028
- Assets
- $12,717,410
- Liabilities
- $745,180
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
24 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Susan L Heller (VP to President (trans 1/25))
- Maricela Rios-Faust (Chief Executive Officer)
Highest reported compensation
- Maricela Rios-Faust (Chief Executive Officer): $218,105 total reported compensation
- Sara Behmerwohld (COO): $151,128 total reported compensation
- Stirling Hunter (Sr. Finance Director): $127,087 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Human Options ignites social change by educating Orange County to recognize relationship violence as an issue that threatens everyone, advocating for those affected by abuse, extending a safe place for victims, and empowering survivors on their journey of healing.
What it reported doing in 2024
Human Options' residential services offer a continuum of care which encompasses the 24 hour crisis hotline, 45 day emergency shelter (with on-site 90 day Family Healing Center), and transitional housing programs - both 6-month and longer term. Our clients are adult and child victims of domestic violence of all ages, ethnicities, orientations, and come from all over Orange County. They are considered homeless as they are fleeing abuse in their home, typically have had severe trauma experiences, usually have minimal income and are striving to achieve safety and emotional and financial self-sufficiency. Support is also provided to survivors who may be able to sustain permanent housing but need stability assistance and access to a supportive community. Second Step provides housing for up to 6 months, offers counseling, case management, legal advocacy, parenting and life skills education as well as assistance with permanent housing for up to 14 families at a time. Vocational training and employment assistance are key program activities designed to help clients reach economic self-sufficiency. Follow up services are offered to program graduates for a 6 month period after second step program completion. Third step is an extended transitional housing program providing low-cost rents for up to one year, with case management and counseling as needed for six low income families.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 62% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 75% for direct work, and 25% 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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 84
- Transparency & Controls: 83
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 35
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 91.7%; rating input score 92
- Program expense ratio: 80.4%; rating input score 80
- Fundraising efficiency: $15.95 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- 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: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -14%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.74; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 6.8%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 5% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 1.6% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 91.7% of revenue deployed · 80.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 21 of 21 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $5.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $218K · 24 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $953K reported
- Consistency: 39 of 39 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 10 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 6 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 10/100.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 53/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 57/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 43/100.