Founded in 1996, Raising the Roof (RTR) aims to address and prevent homelessness in Canada. The charity works with other community organizations, funding and producing research on homeless prevention programs. An estimated 235,000 experience homelessness each year, with 35,000 homeless on any given night.

In F2017, RTR allocated more than $293,000 (49% of total program and granting costs) to The Upstream Project. Based on a successful Australian program, The Community of Schools and Services Model, The Upstream Project works with schools to identify children most at risk of becoming homeless. Once identified, the at-risk youth are supported to improve their mental and overall wellbeing, increase school engagement, and ultimately avoid homelessness. RTR has collected data on 2,655 students from four schools, identifying that 3% of youth surveyed are at risk of homelessness and 18% are at high risk of school disengagement or psychological distress.

In F2017, RTR granted $219,850 (37% of total program and granting costs) to other registered Canadian charities. Charities that received the largest amounts were RAFT ($25,000), 360 Kids ($20,300), and Community Care ($13,850). Raising the Roof has worked with 360 Kids to evaluate its Nightstop pilot program. Nightstop temporarily places youth in crisis with volunteers who provide a private bedroom, meals, and laundry. During the pilot program, 16 youth accessed the program, each staying an average of 12 nights.

In F2017, RTR allocated the remaining 14% of program spending to broader child & family initiatives and host homes programs. 

Raising the Roof is a small charity with donations and special events revenue of $640k in F2017. The charity received net revenue of $271k from toque sales, representing 26% of total revenue. Administrative costs are 18% of revenues and fundraising costs are 20% of donations. For every dollar donated, 62 cents go to the cause, which is outside of Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. Raising the roof has $458k in funding reserves which could cover program costs and granting at the F2017 level for eight months.

This charity profile has been sent to Raising the Roof for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Created on July 19, 2019 by Madison Kerr. Financial transparency updated on February 18, 2021.