Calgary Drop-in
STAR RATINGCi's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics: |
✔+
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.
B
RESULTS REPORTING
Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.
Fair
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.
94%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 94 cents are available for programs.
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OVERVIEW
About Calgary Drop-in:
Established in 1961, Calgary Drop-In Centre (Calgary DI) helps adults at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Calgary DI identifies as a housing-focused emergency shelter. Calgary DI views its emergency shelter as a temporary solution and focuses on helping people exit homelessness and find independent living accommodations. The charity reports that it has housed more than 1,000 people since it began this strategy in 2017. Calgary DI runs programs in four main areas: emergency shelter, housing, free goods, and employment services. The charity does not provide a breakdown of spending on these programs.
Calgary Drop-In’s emergency shelter programs provide access to food, beds, health services, housing support, hygiene services, clothing, and employment services. In F2020, the charity served an average of 725 people each day. Calgary DI served a total of 1,039,787 meals/snacks and provided health services to 1,459 people in F2020.
Through its housing programs, Calgary DI works one-on-one with homeless people to find them permanent homes. The charity also provides housing resources for clients to access. In F2020, Calgary DI filled 79 units in its newest building, which represents a 100% occupancy rate. Calgary DI helped a total of 292 Calgarians find permanent housing solutions in F2020.
The Calgary Free Goods Program provides people with items for their homes, including furniture, kitchenware, computers, mobile phones, small appliances, books, and more. In F2020, Calgary DI provided 111,685 household items to 2,978 households.
Calgary DI helps homeless people get back to work through free employment services training. Courses include Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), Standard First Aid, Forklift Operational & Safety, and more.
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Results and Impact
In F2020, Calgary Drop-In Centre prevented 97 people from becoming homeless. Calgary DI’s housing staff found homes for these 97 people within three weeks of arriving at the emergency shelter.
Calgary DI reports that zero of the 79 people who moved into the Greenview residence returned to the shelter in F2020. The charity’s overall return-to-shelter rate was less than 4% in F2020.
While Charity Intelligence highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of Calgary Drop-In Centre’s results and impact.
Charity Intelligence gave the Calgary Drop-In Centre an impact rating of Fair for proven social impact per dollar spent.
Impact Rating: Fair

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Finances
In F2021, Calgary Drop-In Centre had total donations of $8.3m. The charity received $26.4m in government funding, representing 66% of total revenues. The charity also collected $1.8m in rental income. Administrative costs are 3% of revenues and fundraising costs are 2% of donations. This results in total overhead spending of 6%. For every dollar donated, 94 cents go to the cause, which is inside Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.
Calgary DI has ($3.5m) in funding reserves, due to the possession of $12.7m in debt. Excluding debt, Calgary DI could cover 29% of annual program costs with reserves. This indicates a need for funding.
Charity Intelligence sent an update of this report to Calgary Drop-In Centre for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.
Updated on July 14, 2021 by Sydney Olexa.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending March
|
2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|
Administrative costs as % of revenues | 3.4% | 5.1% | 4.5% |
Fundraising costs as % of donations | 2.4% | 9.7% | 7.4% |
Total overhead spending | 5.8% | 14.8% | 11.9% |
Program cost coverage (%) | (10.9%) | (60.0%) | 14.9% |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $000s |
2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|
Donations | 8,296 | 2,583 | 3,208 |
Goods in kind | 1,761 | 2,922 | 2,879 |
Government funding | 26,352 | 14,603 | 15,064 |
Fees for service | 2,740 | 2,150 | 1,909 |
Investment income | 40 | 97 | 1,192 |
Other income | 1,001 | 270 | 2,128 |
Total revenues | 40,190 | 22,625 | 23,393 |
Program costs | 32,366 | 21,338 | 20,672 |
Administrative costs | 1,367 | 1,154 | 1,053 |
Fundraising costs | 198 | 250 | 238 |
Total spending | 33,931 | 22,742 | 21,962 |
Cash flow from operations | 6,259 | (117) | 1,431 |
Capital spending | 1,024 | 3,985 | 14,616 |
Funding reserves | (3,519) | (12,798) | 3,084 |
Note: Ci included additions to deferred contributions in government funding and did not include amortization of deferred contributions. This affected total revenues by ($850k) in F2021, ($2.1m) in F2020, and ($1.1m) in F2019. Ci used the charity’s T3010 filing with the CRA to report administrative and fundraising costs.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
0 |
$250k - $300k |
1 |
$200k - $250k |
1 |
$160k - $200k |
4 |
$120k - $160k |
0 |
$80k - $120k |
4 |
$40k - $80k |
0 |
< $40k |
0 |
Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2020
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Comments & Contact
Comments added by the Charity:
The following comments have been previously added by the charity and may not reflect the 2021 profile:
Whether housed or unhoused, the DI is open to care for our community’s most vulnerable and get them connected to housing. Rooted in community and fueled by kindness, the DI proudly serves as part of the Calgary Homeless Foundation’s Homeless-Serving System of Care.
The DI helps people find housing:
The DI helps people with basic needs:
The DI helps empower people:
The DI helps the community get involved:
Comments for the 2021 profile may be forthcoming.
Charity Contact
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 403-266-3600