Wesley Urban Ministries is a 3-star charity. It is financially transparent and has an average results reporting grade but has overhead spending outside of Ci’s reasonable range.

Founded in the basement of Wesley United Church in 1955, Wesley Urban Ministries (Wesley) aims to transform the lives of people who are homeless or living in poverty in Hamilton, Halton, and Brantford. Wesley runs three main programs: Housing and Homelessness Services; Newcomer and Community Services; and Children, Youth, and Family Services.

Housing and Homelessness Services - 44% of total program spending: Wesley offers drop-in services, emergency shelters, and specialized care for clients struggling with addiction. Wesley also runs supportive housing services, which offer structured programming and recreational activities for residents. In F2022, 145 people stayed at its Covid-19 Isolation Centre, and 94 children stayed in the Emergency Supportive Housing program in Halton.

Newcomer and Community Services - 24% of program spending: Wesley supports Canadian immigrants and refugees through job training programs and temporary housing. Its staff and volunteers speak over 60 languages to meet clients’ needs. Wesley Urban Ministries reports that it helped to settle 636 newcomers in F2022. Wesley also offers services for vulnerable or isolated seniors, such as grocery shopping and home visits. In F2022, it provided over 600 holiday hampers packed with food and gifts to 1,837 people.

Children, Youth, and Family Services - 22% of total program spending: In areas with high poverty rates, Wesley offers childcare services, before- and after-school programs, and children’s camps. In F2022, 173 children attended these two programs and camps. Wesley’s staff also provide resources and support to pregnant women and new parents by helping with breastfeeding, nutrition, and referrals to local services. The charity conducted 1,800 visits to support parents of newborn babies in F2022.

The remaining 10% went to social enterprises and administration. Wesley operates three social enterprises with profits going toward its programs. These include First Start Farm, First Start Café, and Interpretation Services. Wesley’s café hires people who have difficulty finding work.

In F2022, Wesley had donations and special events revenue of $1.9m and donated goods of $35k. The charity received $13.5m in government funding, representing 79% of total revenues. Administrative costs are 6% of revenues (less investment income), and fundraising costs are 32% of donations and special events revenue. This results in total overhead spending of 38%. For every dollar donated, 62 cents go to the cause, which is outside of Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

Wesley has $5.8m in reserve funds, of which $32k is donor endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, the charity could cover 37% or around four and a half months of its annual program costs.

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

Updated on July 19, 2023 by Krystie Nguyen.