Covenant House Vancouver is a 2-star charity due to its low demonstrated impact. The charity is financially transparent and has an average results reporting grade. Before you give, read Charity Intelligence’s report.

Founded in 1997, Covenant House Vancouver (CHV) supports homeless youth in Vancouver by serving their basic needs and helping them build a strong future. Covenant House Vancouver has three main programs: Shelter and Crisis Care, Rights of Passage, and Outreach/Community Support Services. In F2022, it served an average of 121 youths per day. Its head office is in Vancouver, BC.

Shelter and Crisis Care – 51% of program spending ($7.0m): CHV’s Crisis Program runs a 60-bed shelter for youth aged 16 to 24. When youth arrive at the shelter, they receive medical attention, nutritious food and a safe place to sleep. They can stay for as many nights as they want. There are 30 beds for female-identified youth and 30 beds for male-identified youth. In F2022, a total of 258 youths stayed in the Crisis program. CHV reported that it served 96,720 meals in F2022. Some of these meals were served as part of Community Support Services.

Outreach/Community Support Services - 22% of program spending ($3.1m): This program provides “as-needed” services to street youth aged 16 to 24. There are two components of this program: Outreach and Drop-In Centre. The Outreach team travels on foot to find youth and offers food, counseling, minor medical attention, and friendship. In F2022, the Outreach team connected with 631 youths, including 196 indigenous individuals. Youth are then invited to Covenant House’s Drop-In Centre to access a wider range of services and resources.

Rights of Passage - 21% of program spending ($2.9m): This program gives young people safe, affordable housing and 24/7 support as they transition to living alone. Youth must commit to the program, which includes following curfews, attending classes, and putting aside part of their income for the program fee. Participants will receive a furnished apartment until their 25th birthday. Supports include life skills (cooking, money management, self-care, etc.) and education or employment plan development. In F2022, 25 youths aged 16-24 stayed in the Rights of Passage program for an average of almost 20 months.

The remaining 5% of the program costs ($751k) were allocated to public education about youth homelessness.

Recent news: CHV is launching the Sanctuary program, providing low-barrier housing for youth in active addiction.

Covenant House Vancouver received total donations and special events revenues of $32.7m in F2022. Administrative costs are 5% of revenues (excluding investment income). Fundraising costs are 15% of donations. This results in overhead costs of 20%. For every dollar donated, 80 cents go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

CHV has $19.2m in reserve funds. The charity can cover over 16 months of its annual program costs with its reserves.

Charity Intelligence has sent this update to Covenant House Vancouver for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on June 06, 2023 by Krystie Nguyen.