Shelter Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
680117241
IRS 990 coverage
2017–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Concord, CA, USA
Phone
9259577595
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Homeless Shelters

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$24,530,146
Expenses
$25,818,562
Assets
$11,054,081
Liabilities
$6,907,926

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • John Eckstrom (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • John Eckstrom (CEO): $421,678 total reported compensation
  • Sarah Spector (CFO/.COO): $194,657 total reported compensation
  • Carla Welsh (Program Director): $192,564 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 shelter, inc. Is to prevent and end homelessness for low-income, homeless, and disadvantaged families and individuals by providing housing, services, support, and resources that lead to self-sufficiency.

What it reported doing in 2024

Shelter, inc.s work encompasses three main elements: preventing homelessness: prevention is a cost-effective and humane strategy for addressing the needs of families and individuals who are at-risk of homelessness, usually as a result of an unexpected event which temporarily makes them unable to meet their rent obligations. Depending on their level of risk, households are offered individualized financial assistance either on a one-time basis referred to other short term programs (typically 3 to 12 months) to provide them increasing support as they stabilize their housing and develop resources for greater financial self-sufficiency.ending the cycle of homelessness: shelter, inc. Provides homeless families and individuals with interim and permanent housing opportunities and services to help them regain housing andincreased self-sufficiency. This housing first approach is designed to help reduce the incidences and duration of homelessness for low-income and disadvantaged people who are eligible under a variety of publicly-funded housing programs. Services that are critical to success include one-on-one case management, housing search assistance, employment services, education, mental health counseling, and budgeting guidance.providing affordable housing: affordable housing means having a safe place to live at a price you can afford. It currently takes 4.5 full-time minimum wage jobs to afford a two-bedroom apartment in contra costa county. Shelter, inc. Owns and master leases units that offer safe, quality rental units at affordable rents or which are subsidized for eligible program participants to increase the stock of units accessible to vulnerable families and individuals.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 72% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 85
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 19
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 87%; rating input score 87
  • Program expense ratio: 81%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $35.29 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • 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; 66th 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: -5.3%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.43; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.62; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 13% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.2% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.4% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 87% of revenue deployed · 81% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $20.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $422K · 16 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $126K reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2017 to 2024
  • 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 16/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 12/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 21/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 43/100.