885, 105 – 12 Avenue SE
Calgary, AB T2G 1A1
Board Chair: Bryan Romanesky
CEO: Martina Jileckova

Charitable Reg. #:12196 3573 RR0001

STAR RATING

Ci's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics:

[Charity Rating: 2/5]

✔+

FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY

Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.

D+

RESULTS REPORTING

Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.

n/r

DEMONSTRATED IMPACT

The demonstrated impact per dollar Ci calculates from available program information.

NEED FOR FUNDING

Charity's cash and investments (funding reserves) relative to how much it spends on programs in most recent year.

90%

CENTS TO THE CAUSE

For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 90 cents are available for programs.



My anchor

OVERVIEW

About Onward Homes:

Onward Homes is a 2-star charity with a D+ results reporting score, which is below average. It has negative funding reserves, and its overhead costs are within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. For every dollar donated to the charity, 90 cents are available for the cause.

Founded in 2022 through the merger of Horizon Housing Society (founded in 1984) and Forward Housing Association (1976), Onward Homes provides affordable housing to Calgarians. It believes in the Housing First principle, which states that housing is necessary for well-being. Onward Homes serves low-income Calgarians, including those with mental health and mobility challenges. It works with 60 social services agencies that refer and support residents.

Onward Homes owns and operates 1,700 units in 31 buildings. It houses over 3,000 Calgarians. On average, a one-bedroom apartment offered by Onward Homes is 40-50% less per month than the average market rate. Onward Homes offers three different types of properties. Mixed-income properties do not need a referral from a partner agency. Onward Homes advertises these units on rental websites when available.  Seniors self-contained independent housing is available to individuals below the Core Needs Income Threshold. Onward Homes prioritizes applicants aged 65+ for these spots. Affordable housing properties are available to people referred by a social services agency.

Onward Homes is currently working on two new developments. Killarney is a 29-unit building. Currie is a proposed four-storey multi-family apartment building with 72 units. The federal government provided funding for this project. Onward Homes has not released a start date for construction.

My anchor

Results and Impact

Charity Intelligence did not find any quantified outcomes on Onward Home’s website. This may not be a complete representation of Onward Home’s results and impact. This charity is not yet rated for impact (n/r).

My anchor

Finances

Onward Homes’ audited financial statement for the fiscal year ending March 2023 (F2023) is an amalgamation of Horizon Housing Society and Forward Housing Association as if they have always been combined. The two agreed to combine operations on November 15, 2022.

Onward Homes is a small charity in terms of donations, with $512k in donations in F2023. It also received $699k (4% of total revenue) in government funding. Most of its revenue comes from rental income, which is $11.4m (73% of total revenue) in F2023. Administrative costs are 10% of revenue (excluding investment income) and the charity reported no fundraising costs. Overhead spending is 10%, which is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. For every dollar donated, 90 cents are available for the cause. In F2023, Onward Homes spent $9.9m on its programs, which is 63% of its revenue.

In F2023, Onward Homes had a surplus of $3.9m and spent $3.8m on capital expenditures.

Funding reserves are negative due to a total debt of $59.8m from mortgages related to Onward Homes’ properties. 

This charity report is an update that was sent for review to Onward Homes. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Profile created on May 30, 2024 by Thea Clark

Financial Review


Financial Ratios

Fiscal year ending March
202320222021
Administrative costs as % of revenues 10.1%4.7%3.0%
Fundraising costs as % of donations 0.0%0.0%0.1%
Total overhead spending 10.0%4.7%3.1%
Program cost coverage (%) (375.7%)(597.9%)(437.6%)

Summary Financial Statements

All figures in $000s
202320222021
Donations 5126,05416,958
Government funding 6995,330647
Fees for service 11,4175,4194,790
Investment income 5987778
Other income 2,517549471
Total revenues 15,74317,42922,945
Program costs 9,8764,1354,064
Administrative costs 1,522819679
Fundraising costs 0020
Other costs 442343189
Total spending 11,8415,2974,953
Cash flow from operations 3,90212,13217,992
Capital spending 3,83620,65626,778
Funding reserves (37,101)(24,722)(17,787)

Note: This review does not consolidate financial statements from Horizon West Housing Society (HWHS) with Horizon Housing Society, though the two distinct non-profits have the same board of directors. HWHS is not a registered charity in Canada. Ci included interest expenses and bad debt expenses in Other costs.

Salary Information

Full-time staff: 54

Avg. compensation: $67,157

Top 10 staff salary range:

$350k +
0
$300k - $350k
0
$250k - $300k
0
$200k - $250k
0
$160k - $200k
0
$120k - $160k
3
$80k - $120k
5
$40k - $80k
2
< $40k
0

Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2023

My anchor

Comments & Contact

Comments added by the Charity:

DEFERRED REVENUE: Onward Homes uses deferred accounting. To show donors this information on a consistent basis, Ci adjusts for these deferred revenues. This affected revenue by ($80.3k) in F2023, ($287k) in F2022 and $127k in F2021.

 

Charity Contact

Website: https://onwardhomes.ca/
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: (403)-297-1746

Print  
Image

Charity Intelligence researches Canadian charities for donors to be informed and give intelligently. Our website posts free reports on more than 800 Canadian charities, as well as in-depth primers on philanthropic sectors like Canada’s environment, cancer, and homelessness. Today over 500,000 Canadians use our website as a go-to source for information on Canadian charities reading over 1.6 million charity reports. Through rigorous and independent research, Charity Intelligence aims to assist Canada’s dynamic charitable sector in being more transparent, accountable and focused on results.

 

Be Informed. Give Intelligently. Have Impact

 

Charitable Registration Number: 80340 7956 RR0001