Inn from the Cold

About Inn from the Cold:

Founded in 1997, Inn from the Cold Society (IFTC) is a homeless shelter in Calgary that caters to families. An average of 209 families in Calgary are homeless each night, and the rate of family homelessness is growing. IFTC addresses the immediate needs of homeless children and their families, while also treating the root causes of family homelessness to create long-term solutions.

Families arriving at IFTC receive shelter, food, clothing, medical care, and access to educational programming. During F2017, Inn from the Cold Society gave emergency shelter to 944 people who stayed for an average of 37 days. IFTC aims to increase the number of families sheltered each night from 100 to 150 during F2018.

Inn from the Cold runs long-term housing complexes called Journey Houses. Journey House 1 has 9 units with 1 or 2 bedrooms for homeless women and their children. New in F2017, Journey House 2 has 10 units with 3 bedrooms, designed for housing larger families. The average family at IFTC has 3 children, and there is a shortage of affordable rental properties in Calgary with 2 or more bedrooms.

Inn from the Cold’s main location is in downtown Calgary where there is limited space for children to play outside. In F2017, IFTC was working to relocate south of the current location to the community of Erlton. IFTC’s proposal for a 50,000 sq. ft. facility was denied by the Erlton Community Association, but the charity says it will continue to seek opportunities to move out of downtown.  

Results and Impact: Charity Intelligence rates Inn from the Cold Society's impact as Good relative to spending (see diagram in lower right). 

In April 2017, Dr. Ray Downie, Ph.D, of Broadview Applied Research evaluated the Journey House programs. Upon arrival at IFTC, 17% of mothers reported having a chronic physical health condition, 35% had a chronic mental health condition, and 17% suffered from substance abuse. At 9 months into the program, the mothers reported no current substance abuse and all chronic health conditions were being treated. Of the families moving into Journey House, 83% reported having been involved with the legal system, 17% appeared in court within the 12 months prior, and 13% had been to jail. For 18 months after arriving at Journey House, none of the families were involved with the legal system or went to jail.

Financial Review:

Inn from the Cold Society is categorized as a large charity, with donations of $6.6m in F2018. The government of Alberta provided $1.5m in funding, representing 18% of total revenue. Administrative costs are 12% of revenue and fundraising costs are 6% of donations. For every $1 donated, 82 cents go the cause, falling within Ci’s reasonable range.

IFTC has $6.7m in funding reserves, of which $1.1m is donor-endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, the charity can operate programming for almost 1 year with reserves.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Inn from the Cold Society for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on June 18, 2018 by Madison Kerr.