BBB Wise Giving Report for
Corporation for Supportive Housing

BBB Wise Giving Report issued February 2010
BBB Wise Giving Report expires February 2012


Does not meet one or more standards
This charity does not meet one or more of the 20 standards for Charity Accountability. Find out more...


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Charity Contact Information

Name: Corporation for Supportive Housing
Address: 50 Broadway, 17th Floor
  New York, NY 10004
Phone: 212-986-2966
Web Address: www.csh.org
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BBB Wise Giving Alliance Comments

Year, State Incorporated: 1991, Delaware
Affiliates: None
Stated Purpose: "to help communities create permanent housing with services to prevent and end homelessness."

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Evaluation Conclusions

              

Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) does not meet the following 5 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Standard 1: Oversight of Operations and Staff - Organizations shall have a board of directors that provides adequate oversight of the charity's operations and its staff. Indication of adequate oversight includes, but is not limited to, regularly scheduled appraisals of the CEO's performance, evidence of disbursement controls such as board approval of the budget, fund raising practices, establishment of a conflict of interest policy, and establishment of accounting procedures sufficient to safeguard charity finances.

CSH does not meet this Standard because its board of directors does not:

  • Receive information about the financial arrangements made with outside fund raising firm(s) and/or consultant(s) hired in the past year.
  • Have a voting member of the board who is assigned the responsibility of serving as the treasurer. In general, the board’s treasurer helps provide independent oversight of the organization’s finances.
  • Review the CEO's performance at least once every two years.

Standard 6: Board Policy on Effectiveness - Have a board policy of assessing, no less than every two years, the organization's performance and effectiveness and of determining future actions required to achieve its mission.

CSH does not meet this Standard because:

  • The board of directors does not have a written policy stating that, at least every two years, an appraisal be done assessing the organization’s performance and effectiveness and determining future actions required to achieve its mission.

Standard 7: Board Approval of Written Report on Effectiveness - Submit to the organization's governing body, for its approval, a written report that outlines the results of the aforementioned performance and effectiveness assessment and recommendations for future actions.

CSH does not meet this Standard because:

  • It did not produce a written report outlining the results of its most recent effectiveness assessment.

Standard 17: Web Site Disclosures - Include on any charity websites that solicit contributions, the same information that is recommended for annual reports, as well as the mailing address of the charity and electronic access to its most recent IRS Form 990.

CSH does not meet this Standard because the organization's website, www.csh.org, does not include all of the recommended information for those charity websites that solicit for donations. Specifically, it does not include:

  • Total income.
  • Total program expenses.
  • Total fund raising expenses.
  • Total administrative expenses.
  • End of year net assets.
  • Electronic access to the organization’s most recent IRS Form 990.

Standard 18: Privacy for Written Appeals & Internet Privacy - Address privacy concerns of donors by (a) providing in written appeals, at least annually, a means (e.g., such as a check off box) for both new and continuing donors to inform the charity if they do not want their name and address shared outside the organization, (b) providing a clear, prominent and easily accessible privacy policy on any of its websites that tells visitors (i) what information, if any, is being collected about them by the charity and how this information will be used, (ii) how to contact the charity to review personal information collected and request corrections, (iii) how to inform the charity (e.g., a check off box) that the visitor does not wish his/her personal information to be shared outside the organization, and (iv) what security measures the charity has in place to protect personal information.

CSH does not meet this Standard because the privacy policy on this website, www.csh.org does not indicate:

  • How to contact the charity to review personal information that is collected and request corrections.
Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) meets the remaining 15 Standards for Charity Accountability.
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Programs

              

CSH helps communities create permanent affordable housing with services to prevent and end homelessness for the most vulnerable individuals and families, including persons with a history of mental illness, substance abuse, and chronic health conditions; young people aging out of the foster care system without the life skills to become self-sufficient; veterans; persons exiting the criminal justice system without the necessary education and treatment to become productive members of the community; and those with a history of domestic violence, trauma, or out-of-home placement. CSH also works to reform public policy to make it easier to create and operate supportive housing.

For the year ended December 31, 2008, CSH's program expenses were:

  
Program services 24,259,178
Total Program Expenses: $24,259,178
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Governance

              

Chief Executive : Deborah De Santis, President and CEO
Compensation*:
$204,327

Chair of the Board: Denise O'Leary
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: Private venture capital investor and corporate director

Board Size: 15

Paid Staff Size: 90

*Compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.
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Fund Raising

              

Method(s) Used:

Direct mail, print advertisements, grant proposals, Internet appeals, and cause-related marketing.
Fund raising costs were 15% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $7,886,424, are donations received as a result of fund raising activities.)
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Tax Status

              

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.
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Financial

              

The following information is based on CSH's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2008.

Source of Funds  
Contract services 7,746,989
Grants and contributions 5,734,414
Fees and other income 3,106,979
In-kind contributions 2,152,010
Interest and dividend income 1,296,108
Net realized and unrealized losses on investments -692,892
Total Income $19,343,608


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Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 85%  Fund Raising: 4%  Administrative: 11% 

Total income   $19,343,608
  Program expenses $24,259,178
  Fund raising expenses 1,171,985
  Administrative expenses 3,058,637
 
Total expenses   $28,489,800
Expenses in Excess of Income   (9,146,192)
Beginning net assets   38,831,509
Ending net assets   29,685,317
Total liabilities   64,617,385
Total assets   $94,302,702

Note: CSH reports receiving in-kind donations in the amount of $2,152,010. Included in this amount is $1,199,993 (legal services) and $952,017 (loans payable).

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An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc.

This report is not to be used for fund raising or promotional purposes.

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