Ottawa Mission is a four-star financially transparent charity. It has a B results reporting grade, which is average. For every dollar donated to the charity, 68 cents are available to go to the cause.

Founded in 1906 as Union Mission for Men, Ottawa Mission for Men provides food, shelter, harm reduction, and healthcare services through several municipal programs. The charity stated that from 2020 to 2023, the number of people sleeping outside in Ottawa quadrupled. Ottawa Mission runs five programs: food & shelter, client services, addiction & trauma, health services, and housing services. The charity spent $16.0m on its programs in the fiscal year ending April 2023 (F2023).

Ottawa Mission (operating charity) receives grants from the Ottawa Mission Foundation, a separately registered charity established in 2010. The foundation is a separate legal entity that covers any of the operating charity's deficits or cash flow deficiencies. In F2022, the operating charity integrated fundraising activities from the foundation, meaning fundraising is no longer recorded separately on the operating charity's and foundation's financials. The foundation provided $2.1m to the operating charity in F2023. 

Food & Shelter was 51% of Ottawa Mission’s program spending. In F2023, the charity sheltered 1,830 people, averaging 177 people each night. Ottawa Mission additionally served 1,057,489 meals during the most recent fiscal year.

Client Services was 27% of the charity’s program spending. Client Services provides education, employment, and mental health support to homeless, marginalized, and low-income people. Ottawa Mission helped 25, 15, and 30 people with resume support, job searches, and employment referrals respectively. 42 people graduated from the charity’s Food Services Training Program (FSTP).

Addiction & Trauma was 10% of the charity’s program spending and supports people suffering from addictions. The Mission’s Hope and Stabilize programs provide group and individual counselling focused on relapse prevention, emotional regulation, and goal setting. 30 and 34 people completed the Hope and Stabilize programs in F2023 respectively, and the charity ran 325 addiction counselling sessions. Ottawa Mission also provided 76 Naloxone Kits in F2023.

Health Services was 7% of the charity’s program spending and includes the hospice, dental clinic, and the DYMON Health Clinic. These facilities provide free nursing, dental, and primary care on site to those who are homeless or precariously housed. In F2023, the hospice admitted 37 new patients. Ottawa Mission hopes to open a new vascular clinic as part of DYMON that specializes in foot and leg wound treatments.

Housing Services was 5% of the charity’s program spending. The charity states that its case managers served 1,007 unique clients and housed 91 people in F2023.

This analysis consolidates Ottawa Mission and Ottawa Mission Foundation’s audited financial statements.

Ottawa Mission received $11.1m in donations, a 3% decrease compared to $11.4m in F2022. The charity also received $4.7m of government funding which is 25% of total revenues excluding investment income. Administrative costs are 11% of revenues and fundraising costs are 22% of total donations. This results in total overhead spend of 33%. This means that for every dollar donated to Ottawa Mission, 68 cents are available to go to the cause.

In F2023, the charity spent $16.0m on its programs, which is 83% of revenues, and has a ($689k) cash deficit.

At the end of F2023, Ottawa Mission had $17.3m funding reserves (cash and investments) which covers 109% or slightly over one year of its annual program costs/spending.

Profile updated May 23, 2024 by Julian Dranitsaris. This analysis uses Ottawa Mission and Ottawa Mission Foundation’s 2023 financial information which is the most recent publicly available information. This report has been sent to Ottawa Mission for review. Comments and corrections may be forthcoming.