Alpha House Society is a four-star charity that is not fully financially transparent. Its results reporting score is B, which is average. Its overhead spending is within Ci’s reasonable range. Its reserve funds can cover three months of annual program costs. 

Founded in 1981, Alpha House Society (Alpha House) serves those struggling with addiction to drugs or alcohol. These individuals often live on the streets of Calgary. The charity treats the intersection of homelessness, addiction, and other mental and physical health issues. It states that substance use can be a coping mechanism for the challenges of homelessness. 

Alpha House operates four programs: Housing, Detox and Transition, Emergency Shelter, and Outreach.  

Housing was 50% of program spending in F2023. It provides Permanent-Supportive Housing and Community Housing. Clients in Permanent-Supportive Housing live in one of seven buildings operated by Alpha House. Clients in Community Housing sign their own leases in other units. All clients in this program have access to social workers for support. In F2023, the charity reported serving 329 clients. 

Detox and Transition was 16% of program spending in F2023. It treats individuals through medically supported withdrawal. The charity notes that detox is a prerequisite for entry into many rehab programs. Once a client has completed detox, they have access to 12 transitional beds. These support them through the long wait times for rehab. In F2023, the charity reported serving 1,986 unique clients. 

Emergency Shelter was 15% of program spending in F2023. It operates a 24-hour, short-term sheltering unit for individuals who might otherwise sleep on streets, in holding cells, or in a hospital. In F2023, the shelter served 5,077 unique clients. 

Outreach was 14% of program spending in F2023. It reduces the impact of addiction on the community. Its mobile response unit cleans up needle debris and responds to encampments and street intoxication. It also runs workshops to raise awareness of addiction and homelessness. 

Alpha House listed the remaining 5% of program spending as miscellaneous.  

Alpha House received $11.5m in donations in F2023. It also received $8.7m in government funding, representing 39% of total revenue. Administrative costs are 12% of revenues. Fundraising costs are less than 1% of donations. Total overhead spending is 12%. For every dollar donated, 88 cents are available to go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. 

The charity has $6.4m in reserve funds. These can cover three months of annual program costs.  

In F2023, Alpha House closed its Lethbridge location. This was due to the cancellation of a grant. It disclosed $5m in expenses for this discontinued operation separately in its financial statements. Ci has consolidated the expenses for both continued and discontinued operations for F2022 and F2023. 

Alpha House only posts its most recent audited financial statements (F2023) on its website. It provided the second most recent set (F2022) upon request. Charity Intelligence has scored them as partially financially transparent. 

This charity report has been sent to Alpha House Society for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.  

Updated on June 12, 2024 by Stellar Zhang.