Better Business Bureau Report for
Lydia's House, Inc.

Better Business Bureau Report issued March 2010
Better Business Bureau Report expires March 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: Lydia's House, Inc.
Address: 3500 Giles
  St. Louis, MO 63116
Phone: 314-771-4411
Web Address: www.lydiashouse.org
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Better Business Bureau Comments

Year, State Incorporated: 1995, Missouri
Affiliates: None
Stated Purpose: Lydia's House works in faith to end domestic violence by being a place of healing and a voice of hope for abused women and their children.

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Evaluation Conclusions

               

Lydia's House, Inc. (LH) does not meet the following 6 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.

The organization does not have a formal CEO performance review policy. 

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.

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.

The organization does not have a formal board policy on assessing organizational performance and effectiveness. 

Standard 16: Annual Report - Have an annual report available to all, on request, that includes: (a) the organization's mission statement, (b) a summary of the past year's program service accomplishments, (c) a roster of the officers and members of the board of directors, (d) financial information that includes (i) total income in the past fiscal year, (ii) expenses in the same program, fund raising and administrative categories as in the financial statements, and (iii) ending net assets.

The organization's annual report does not include its mission statement, board roster, statement of revenues and expenses, and ending net assets.

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.

The organization solicits donations via its website; however, it does not have its annual report information or a link to its most recent IRS Form 990 on its site. 

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.

The organization does not have an online privacy policy. 
Lydia's House, Inc. (LH) meets the remaining 14 Standards for Charity Accountability.
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Programs

               

Lydia’s House provides (1) safe, confidentially-located, furnished apartments outside of an emergency shelter environment, (2) up to 24 months to recover from abuse and build new lives, and (3) support services tailored specifically to the needs of domestic violence survivors. Currently, the agency has the capacity to serve 35 women and up to 70 children, all referred by area domestic violence emergency shelters. The agency provides the following comprehensive programs to help ensure residents’ successful transition from abusive pasts to safe, independent futures: ·Transitional Housing – For many abused women and children, 30 to 90 days in an emergency shelter is not enough time to recover from abuse and build households independent of their batterers. Lydia’s House offers confidentially-located, furnished apartments for up to 24 months – time that is vital to these women and children working toward independence. ·Family Support Services – Each woman and child living at Lydia’s House has access to the following comprehensive Family Support Services: (1) Women’s Advocates who help each woman define educational, employment, parenting, legal, financial, and counseling goals when she enters the program, meet with her weekly to discuss progress toward those goals, help her meet needs for clothing, medical care, etc., and provide information about and referrals to useful community resources as she moves toward independence; (2) Children’s Advocates who conduct weekly sessions with each child, serve as liaisons to schools and other community resources, and provide positive parenting skills workshops; (3) weekly peer support groups facilitated by Women’s and Children’s Advocates and optional spiritual support groups; (4) weekly community meals and social activities where residents can build informal relationships and celebrate significant life events and changes; (5) economic literacy classes; and (6) employment enhancement and training opportunities, including skills and interests testing, job-readiness assessments, computer training, career planning, GED training, health classes, self-esteem workshops, and access to accredited distance learning programs. ·Community Outreach and Education – The Community Outreach and Education program increases community awareness of domestic violence, provides resources to organizations as they support families in crisis, and encourages individuals as well as faith-based and community organizations to work together to end domestic violence. Representatives of Lydia’s House offer presentations on domestic violence, current issues, healthy relationship skills, and other related topics to groups of adults and teenagers on request. Since opening its doors in 1996, Lydia's House has served more than 275 women and children – giving them the time and support necessary to recover from the psychological and physical effects of domestic violence. Over 85% of its residents completing the program leave with stable employment and safe housing.

For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, LH's program expenses were:

  
Programs 988,048
Total Program Expenses: $988,048
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Governance

               

Chief Executive : Marcia Barber , Interim Executive Director
Compensation*:
 66500

Chair of the Board: Susan Venn
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: Edward Jones

Board Size: 16

Paid Staff Size: 13

*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, telephone, invitations to fund raising events, television, radio, grant proposals, internet, cause-related marketing, membership
Fund raising costs were 15% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $1,141,838, 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 LH's audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008.

Source of Funds  
Contributions 844,266
Government support 291,010
Special events 186,277
In-kind contributions 85,659
Sales, net of cost of sales 25,636
Interest and dividend income 9,460
Rental income 4,500
Forfeitures 3,300
Miscellaneous 1,466
Loss on sale of assets -5,714
Unrealized loss on investments -29,060
Total Income $1,416,800


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Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 81%  Fund Raising: 15%  Administrative: 4% 

Total income   $1,416,800
  Program expenses $988,048
  Fund raising expenses 175,683
  Administrative expenses 46,490
 
Total expenses   $1,210,221
Income in Excess of Expenses   206,579
Beginning net assets   2,757,823
Ending net assets   2,530,542
Total liabilities   433,860
Total assets   $2,964,402


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