Founded in the basement of Wesley United Church in 1955, Wesley Urban Ministries (Wesley) aims to transform the lives of people who are homeless or living in poverty in Hamilton, Halton, and Brantford. The charity has three main program areas: housing and homelessness; children, youth, and family; and newcomer and community services.

In F2018, Wesley allocated 41% of program spending to housing and homeless services. The charity offers drop-in services and support, emergency shelter, and specialized care for individuals struggling with addiction. In F2018, clients received 63,460 hot meals, 4,584 hours of addiction-support healthcare, and 834 hours of chaplaincy counselling and memorial services. The new supportive housing service provides 10 beds for individuals dealing with multiple diagnoses such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective and bipolar disorders, an intellectual disability, or autism.

Children, youth, and family services received 31% of program spending in F2018. In poor and under-served neighbourhoods, Wesley offers childcare, before and after school programs, parenting workshops, summer and March break camps. In F2018, 395 pregnant women and new parents were supported through home visits. Wesley employees provide support with having a healthy pregnancy, developing a relationship with the new baby, breastfeeding, nutrition, child development, parenting skills, and access to other community programs. Youth aged 12 to 21 can access guidance related to employment and education, information on health and wellness, and social and recreational opportunities. For homeless youth, Wesley’s residential program provides shelter and guidance in preparing for independent living.

In F2018, the remaining 28% of program spending was allocated to supporting newcomers to Canada and others who may feel isolated from the community. Over 60 languages are spoken by Wesley volunteers to ensure that client needs are met. In F2018, the charity visited with 1,393 newcomers in the community and supported 137 vulnerable seniors. Low-income families can receive gifts at the Christmas and holiday store, providing gifts and food for 843 children in F2018.

Wesley Urban Ministries operates two social enterprises with profits going toward operating programs: First Start Café and Interpretation Services. The café employs youth and adults who have difficulty finding other employment. It is open daily, serving individual meals and providing catering.

Wesley is a medium-sized charity with donations and special events revenues of $2.5m in F2018, along with $430k in donated goods. The charity received $9.9m in government funding, representing 74% of total revenues. Administrative costs are 7% of revenues less investment income, and fundraising costs are 13% of donations. For every dollar donated, 81 cents go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

Wesley has $3.6m in funding reserves, of which $28k is donor-endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, the charity could cover more than three months of program costs with reserves.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Wesley for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 8, 2019 by Madison Kerr.