Safe Harbor of Chester County Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
232734615
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
West Chester, PA, USA
Phone
6106926550
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Housing, Shelter N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,550,092
Expenses
$1,522,088
Assets
$3,243,245
Liabilities
$53,689

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

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • JESSICA CHAPPELL (EXEC DIRECTOR): $102,464 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Safe harbor of chester county is a non-profit organization dedicated to ending the cycle of homelessness in chester county by providing shelter, meals, and trauma informed support services- including intensive housing case management, therapeutic programming and skills training, whole-person care, and comprehensive referral and resource navigation. Our goal is to provide dignified, whole-person care that empowers each individual to achieve housing stability and long-term well-being.

What it reported doing in 2024

Safe harbor of chester county operates an emergency shelter that provides safe, dignified, and stable temporary housing for 20 single men and 20 single women experiencing homelessness in chester county. The shelter serves as the primary entry point for individuals to engage in comprehensive support services that lead to permanent housing.safe harbor provides intensive, trauma-informed housing case management to individuals experiencing homelessness. Case managers assess needs, develop housing stability plans, connect residents to benefits and community resources, and support progress toward permanent housing. Services include housing navigation, landlord engagement, benefit enrollment, budgeting support, and coordination with community partners. Safe harbor operates an on-site kitchen that provides 43,000 nutritious meals to shelter residents each year. Meal services address immediate food insecurity while supporting health, wellness, and dignity. The kitchen program ensures consistent access to nourishing meals, contributing to residents' overall ability to engage in housing and support services. Additionally, 11,000 community lunches are provided to the low-income community each year. Safe harbor offers therapeutic programming and life skills training designed to support long-term stability and self-sufficiency. Programming includes group-based and individual activities focused on job readiness, physical and mental wellness, daily living skills, and overall well-being. These services are delivered using a whole-person, trauma-informed approach and are intended to help participants build the skills and resilience needed to maintain housing and improve quality of life. Safe harbor's wraparound program supports individuals for up to six months after becoming housed through ongoing case management, life skills coaching, and home-based support to sustain permanent housing.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 65% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 52
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73.5%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 74%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.09 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • 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: NotApplicable
    • 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: 1.8%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.13; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.7%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.7% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 73.5% of revenue deployed · 74% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $102K · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 29 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 23/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 41/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 48/100.