Unity House of Cayuga County Inc.

Legal name: Unity House of Cayuga County Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
161081372
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Auburn, NY, US
Phone
(315) 253-6227
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Residential Mental Health Treatment

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$27,579,847
Expenses
$25,948,676
Assets
$17,998,778
Liabilities
$8,658,264

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KENNETH G KNIGHT (PRESIDENT)
  • PATRICIA FESTA (VICE-PRESIDENT)
  • ELIZABETH SMITH (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • ELIZABETH SMITH (CEO): $185,680 total reported compensation
  • SARA BILINSKI (CPO): $135,338 total reported compensation
  • DARLENE PODOLAK (COO): $131,376 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Empowering Lives. Securing Futures. Supporting people with disabilities and those in recovery in Central New York.

What it reported doing in 2024

Residential services: at unity house, we believe that everyone deserves a place where they belong. Healthy food, sound sleep and social connection are basic needs that must be met for people to thrive. That's why we provide residential services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, people recovering from mental illness, and people recovering from substance use disorder. Each person's individualized residential plan is designed to maximize their autonomy while ensuring that they get the support they need to thrive. Staff help residents gain life skills, strengthen relationships, maintain health, stay safe and participate in activities that improve their wellbeing. Those with the greatest needs may live in a congregate residence with support staff on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Those who need less support may live in a non-certified apartment with regular staff check-ins.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 88% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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.

The verdict

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

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 78
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 46
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 82.4%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 87.6%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.72 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd 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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th 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: 5.9%; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.69; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.48; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.2%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.3% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 6 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 82.4% of revenue deployed · 87.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $22.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $186K · 17 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.1M reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2015 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 31/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 24/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 57/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 30/100.