Good Shepherd Ministries

About Good Shepherd Ministries:

Founded in 1963, Good Shepherd Ministries (GSM) is a Roman Catholic charity which helps poor and homeless people in Toronto. GSM addresses immediate needs by providing food, shelter, and clothing, and hopes to reduce homelessness in the long-term by offering medical care, addiction treatment, counselling, and rehousing assistance. The charity runs programs at its Good Shepherd Centre, Barrett House, and St. Joseph’s Residence.

Good Shepherd Center houses an emergency shelter with 95 beds for adult men. In F2017, these beds were at capacity every night, sheltering 1,259 homeless men during the year. People not staying at the shelter are encouraged to drop in and access the day services offered by GSM. The charity served 415,405 meals and distributed 156,200 clothing items in F2017. An onsite medical clinic staffed by registered nurses was visited 3,440 times in F2017. Pastoral Care provides support to guests, regardless of religion.

GSM operates a Drug and Alcohol Recovery Enrichment Program (D.A.R.E.) at the Good Shepherd Centre. There are 25 beds available for homeless men who are recovering from addiction. In F2017, 105 men entered the program, receiving shelter and support.

Barrett House has six rooms for the long-term housing of homeless people with HIV/AIDS. St. Joseph’s Residence houses eight chronically-homeless seniors, with priority given to those with physical issues, mental illness, addiction, or social isolation. GSM provides 24-hour care, meals, medication monitoring, addiction management services, and recreational activities.

Results and Impact: In F2017, Good Shepherd Ministries settled 205 people in long-term housing. This housing includes D.A.R.E. beds, Barrett House, St. Joseph’s Residence, and offsite rentals coordinated with private landlords.

Financial Review:

Good Shepherd Ministries is a medium-sized charity with donations and special events revenue of $3.9m in F2017. The charity received $2.8m in government funding, representing 40% of total revenues. Administrative costs are 12% of revenues and fundraising costs are 21% of donations. For every $1 donated, 68 cents go to the cause, falling just within Ci’s reasonable range. The charity has $5.7m in funding reserves, of which $150k is donor endowed. Funding reserves could cover program costs for 1.3 years.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Good Shepherd Ministries for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on July 18, 2018 by Madison Kerr.