Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
364337985
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Wheaton, IL, USA
Phone
6308718387
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Homeless Centers

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,482,309
Expenses
$7,569,569
Assets
$3,064,130
Liabilities
$558,498

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TERRY BENSHOOF (PRESIDENT)
  • CHRISTINE LEWIS (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
  • RIZIK MOHAMMAD (DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • MELODIE SMITH (ASSOC VICE PRESIDENT, PROGRAMS)

Highest reported compensation

  • RIZIK MOHAMMAD (DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $178,648 total reported compensation
  • MELODIE SMITH (ASSOC VICE PRESIDENT, PROGRAMS): $167,067 total reported compensation
  • CHRISTINE LEWIS (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $130,184 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To provide veterans and their families with housing and supportive services that lead to self-sufficiency and to ensure that no veteran is left behind due to homelessness, joblessness, poverty, and/or mental health issues.

What it reported doing in 2025

The organization assisted numerous households and individuals, with housing and support services through their supportive services for veteran families program. This program provides services to low-income homeless and at-risk veteran families living in or transitioning to permanent housing in dekalb, dupage, grundy, kane, kendall, lasalle, and will counties. Provided services include case services such as mental health care and other benefits. Under the program, the organization also offers financial assistance to veterans for rent, utility, and security deposit payments. The organization also assists unemployed and underemployed veterans and their families with obtaining and maintaining employment through the veteran employment program, and the organization served numerous veterans in this capacity.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 75% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 61% of its reported program spending out as 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 total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 85
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 23
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 88.9%; rating input score 89
  • Program expense ratio: 87.6%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $20.34 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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; 75th 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: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -1.2%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.4; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.18; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.9%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.3% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 15.2% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 88.9% of revenue deployed · 87.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $6.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $179K · 17 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $227K reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2014 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • 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 23/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 13/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 34/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 37/100.