Founded in 1983, Shepherds of Good Hope (SGH) provides individuals in Ottawa with appropriate supports to break the cycle of homelessness. The charity provides shelter, food, clothing, and support services to people who are struggling with mental health challenges, addiction, and trauma.

Major programs of Shepherds of Good Hope include transitional shelter services, supportive housing, community support services, and social enterprises. SGH’s seven specialized shelter programs help people transition from homelessness to permanent housing. Programs include women’s and men’s shelters, a Managed Alcohol Program for alcohol-dependent people, and a Transitional Emergency Shelter for people with complex needs. In F2018, 2,288 people stayed at the shelters and the average length of stay was 40 days.

Shepherds of Good Hope’s supportive housing program allows people with physical and mental health challenges to live independently. The charity operates four residences that housed 226 people in F2018.

SGH’s community support services provide groceries, clothing, and meals to its shelter clients and to the broader community. In F2018, the charity harvested over 7,000 lbs of produce from its Hope Garden and served over 1,000 meals every day at its soup kitchen. SGH’s Evening Drop-In program ran social activities for 200 people every night.

Shepherds of Good Hope’s Good Day Workshop is a social enterprise that offers furniture refurnishing and repairs. In F2018, 47 participants gained employment-skills training and experience through the program.

SGH reports that 20-25% of Canadian youth accessing emergency shelter services identify as LGBTQ2S. The charity’s Gender Diversity program provides resources to shelter clients who experience difficulties as a result of how they identify, including living accommodations and referrals to other LGBTQ2S charities.

In F2018, SGH opened a temporary Safe Injection Site in partnership with Ottawa Public Health and others to address the opioid crisis. Harm reduction treatment services were offered to injection drug users. Due to the high demand for the program, SGH is currently moving the temporary site to a permanent location.

Results and Impact: Shepherds of Good Hope strives to support people who have experienced homelessness as they establish independence. In F2018, Shepherds of Good Hope diverted 504 people from the shelter system through its supportive housing and community support programs.

Shepherds of Good Hope is a medium-sized charity with $3.0m in donations and special event fundraising in F2018. Government funding accounts for over half of total revenues at $8.3m dollars. Administrative costs are 5% of revenues (excluding investment income), and fundraising costs are 22% of donations. For every dollar donated, 73 cents go towards SGH’s programs. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. SGH has $6.7m in funding reserves, which can cover program costs for 7 months.

This charity report is an update that was sent to Shepherds of Good Hope for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming. 

Updated on May 28, 2019 by Caroline McKenna. Updated November 9, 2020 by Katie Khodawandi.