Simon House Residence Society is a 5-star charity with average demonstrated impact. It is financially transparent, has an above-average results reporting grade, and has reasonable overhead spending.

Founded in 1982, Simon House Residence Society (Simon House) provides 12-step-based addiction treatment and recovery for adult men in Calgary, Alberta. It also provides aftercare and family services, as well as an addiction recovery specific to Indigenous peoples. Simon House has a mission to help men achieve long-term recovery from addiction and all its effects. Simon House does not provide a breakdown of spending on its programs.

A Charity Intelligence 2021 Top 5 Calgary Impact Charity

Men enroll in treatment annually for Simon House’s addiction recovery program. The first phase of the program is called Active Treatment. It is a highly structured 12-week residential program. Clients in this phase attend weekly one-on-one counselling sessions for the first four weeks of the program. During the entire program, clients must attend five Alcoholics/Narcotics/Cocaine Anonymous (AA/NA/CA) meetings, weekly alumni speaker meetings, monthly graduation meetings, and daily morning meditations and house meetings. In 2022, Simon House served 364 clients, of which 198 graduated from the program. The average client age was 38 in 2022.

To ensure lifelong recovery, Simon House runs an Aftercare program. The program offers individual and group support and mentorship, family preservation and reunification, family conferencing, community and alumni connections, and lifelong coaching.

Simon House also offers Familycare, a program designed to heal, support, and empower families. The program lasts six weeks and involves twelve virtual meetings. It is available to anyone impacted by the addiction of a loved one.

In August 2021, Simon House implemented an Indigenous program. Program members engage in smudging ceremonies, one-on-one elder support, sweat ceremonies, healing and drumming circles, community events, and more. In the first half of 2022, the Indigenous program treated 42 clients, of which 13 graduated.

Simon House received donations and special events revenue of $635k in F2022. It also received $2.2m in fees for service, representing 78% of total revenue.

Administrative costs are 11% of revenues (less investment income), and fundraising costs are 8% of donations and special events revenue. This results in total overhead spending of 19%. For every dollar donated to the charity, 81 cents go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

Simon House has $1.2m in reserve funds (cash and investments), which could cover 50% or six months of its annual program costs.

Simon House does not break out government funding in its audited financial statements. However, its annual T3010 filings with the CRA report government funding of $2.5m in F2022, $284k in F2021, and $113k in F2020. Ci did not report these numbers as we could not reconcile them with the audited financial statements.  

Simon House purchased $33k worth of capital assets and received proceeds of $732k on the sale of a building, resulting in negative capital spending of ($699k). 

Ci has sent this profile update to Simon House for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 25, 2023, by Sydney Olexa.