2025-06-05T16:41:25-07:00 2024-06-30 990 2023-07-01 311682398 GREATER CINCINNATI COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS GREA 5134217803 117 E 12th St Cincinnati OH 45202 Josh Spring Executive Director 5134217803 2025-05-15 1 2023 2025-03-06 01:10:19Z Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Josh Spring 117 E 12th St Cincinnati OH 45202 375871 0 X cincihomeless.org X 1999 OH ERADICATION OF HOMELESSNESS: The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition is a unified social action agency, fully committed to its ultimate goal: the eradication of homelessness with respect for the dignity and diversity of its membership, people experiencing homelessness and the community. Our Coalition works towards this goal by coordinating services, educating the public, and engaging in grassroots organizing and advocacy. 16 16 6 250 0 0 226196 300426 34739 64132 5480 10560 1617 753 268032 375871 0 62749 0 0 254752 243729 0 0 32869 73429 63915 328181 370393 -60149 5478 374469 367313 41985 21894 332484 345419 X ERADICATION OF HOMELESSNESS: The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition is a unified social action agency, fully committed to its ultimate goal: the eradication of homelessness with respect for the dignity and diversity of its membership, people experiencing homelessness and the community. Our Coalition works towards this goal by coordinating services, educating the public, and engaging in grassroots organizing and advocacy. 0 1 147700 27109 ADVOCACY AND ORGANIZING: The Coalition membership includes dozens of direct service organizations, faith groups, civic organizations and people experiencing homelessness. Together, we work and organize with people experiencing homelessness or housing instability to address their needs in multiple ways. The SYSTEMIC CAUSE OF HOMELESSNESS is the lack of 40,000 affordable housing units within Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati. HISTORIC ANTI-CRIMINALIZATION SETTLEMENT: In Summer 2024, we settled a historic lawsuit against the City of Cincinnati for criminalizing people experiencing homelessness outdoors. Now, the police department is no longer the City's first response to people forced to live outdoors. Instead, the City Manager's office will send someone with a more caring tone to offer resources that may be available. If the City's tone changes from caring to wanting to move people, the City cannot require people to leave unless they can show there is a shelter bed available for each person, and then 72 hours later if the person is still present, the City again has to show a shelter bed is available for that person before any further action can be taken. The City of Cincinnati now "recognizes that imposing criminal penalties for sitting, sleeping, or laying on public property against individuals experiencing homelessness who cannot access shelter is prohibited by the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution", which bars "cruel and unusual punishment". After decades of people enduring criminalization for existing, and decades of advocacy and organizing, the police are officially no longer the city's first response to people experiencing homelessness outdoors on public property. In June 2024 we met with people who were living on Third Street in 2018 and were part of the filing of the lawsuit. We discussed the results of this settlement. Folks were ecstatic about our collective victory, but strongly said we have to strengthen our fight for housing. We are now working with folks to establish a Homeless Congress, which could be a place for people experiencing homelessness to organize and take official positions on policies, push systemic change and generally grow the movement. "CONNECTED COMMUNITIES" TASK FORCE: We organized hundreds of people to oppose the zoning changes the City of Cincinnati titled "Connected Communities." We opposed because it allows developers to build in much greater density (more homes in the same footprint) in certain parts of our city, which means significantly higher profits for developers, but does not require that any of that increased revenue benefit the community in the form of affordable housing. Instead, "Connected Communities" hands all of the increased profit to developers, while also increasing the risk of displacement predominantly for Black Households with lower incomes. The City of Cincinnati stated that through a process called filtering, more low income housing will be available after newer high income housing is built. We know that this is not how development works. Nonetheless, "Connected Communities" passed; but three members of City Council stood with us and voted no. Our collective opposition has lead to the creation of a Task Force whose purpose is to create amendments to "Connected Communities" legislation. We are now leading the Affordable Housing Committee of the Task Force. This Committee will create amendments, that if passed, will promote the development of truly affordable housing and prevent displacement. Stay tuned, because soon we will need your support to get City Council to pass these amendments. TENANT ORGANIZING TO SAVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING: -Worked with Tenants to establish or strengthen 11 different resident associations in the city across 8 different neighborhoods. -Organized with hundreds of Tenants to protect they and their neighbors' more than 2,300 homes, impacting over 5,000 people. -Facilitated Tenant Associations boldly presenting their positions and needs to: City of Cincinnati City Council and Administration, HUD, Community Councils, Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA), Members of Ohio's Congress and the Press. STRATEGIZING FOR THE NEXT BIG MOVE TO FUND THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND: In the last 3 years we led the effort that collected more than 20,000 signatures to put 2 major measures on the ballot to fund truly affordable housing. More than 500 people volunteered to do the hard work to make affordable housing a real priority in our city's government. While neither issue passed, we moved from a time when almost nobody in Cincinnati knew what an Affordable Housing Trust Fund was to collectively getting more than 35,000 votes to boldly fund it. Building on that momentum, we are bringing in more everyday people and groups to strategize our next big move to fund the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. 74356 31713 EDUCATION: The Coalition connects more people with its advocacy efforts through education of the general public, community leaders and local officials. Partnering with individuals who have experienced or are experiencing homelessness, who share their stories to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community, our SPEAKERS' BUREAU reaches many different people of all ages in schools, universities, faith communities, civic associations, businesses, service providers, etc.. The CINCINNATI URBAN EXPERIENCE is a 3-7 day immersive alternative break program for high school and college students. The SOCIAL JUSTICE WALKING TOUR travels through the streets, alleys and parks of Over-The-Rhine and clarifies the meaning and direction of decades of neglect and how the priorities of today's investments have caused displacement, loss of affordable housing and homelessness. The Coalition offers several more educational opportunities as well. The Coalition offers a full online training curriculum regarding homelessness, policy and housing development. Over the past year, our education program has become more robust as we hosted 131 education events, including our CINCINNATI URBAN EXPERIENCE, SPEAKERS' BUREAU, TOURS, TRAININGS and STREETVIBES SHADOWS. In those 131 events, we helped over 1,500 individuals deepen their understanding of homelessness. On top of this, we launched a new podcast, Roots and Roofs, and released 13 episodes. A participant in our CINCINNATI URBAN EXPERIENCE from Temple University, had this to say, "This trip really lit a spark in me and has pushed me in the direction I had not found previously. I always had an idea I would end up in the nonprofit space, but now I know there is a purpose to fight for. Seeing firsthand members of this community, do the work in every day life is something I won't forget." We also held multiple policy-focused TEACH-INS to respond to the growing urgency from people to understand our city's policies that are making housing unaffordable and inaccessible, so they may better organize and advocate. 47734 44331 COORDINATION OF SERVICES (MEMBERSHIP): The Homeless Coalition is an organization founded on and driven by our members. Our membership includes our primary constituency - People experiencing homelessness throughout Geater Cincinnati: people residing in shelters and transitional housing, living outside and in places not meant for human habitation, and households who are bouncing from one doubled-up situation to another. We have dozens of direct service provider member organizations which provide services including all forms of shelter, affordable housing development, subsidized housing, supportive housing, street outreach, mental and medical health services, addiction detox and recovery, spiritual care, food and meal provisions, clothing, domestic violence response, services for school children, legal services, housing discrimination prevention and response and more. We facilitate the connection of our many members not only in the areas of advocacy and education, but also in the strategic implementation of services. 29779 5310 STREETVIBES: Streetvibes is a social justice newspaper that is part of the International Street Newspaper Movement. The paper focuses on homelessness, social justice, and international news issues; telling the stories of poverty not printed in traditional newspapers. The papers are distributed by individuals who have experienced homelessness to earn supplemental income. Streetvibes also features articles, poetry, jokes, art, and photographs submitted by individuals who have experienced homelessness. Our number Distributors decreased sharply during the pandemic. We have continued to work to rebuild our roster of Distributors by recruiting new folks. In fiscal year 2024 we distributed over 10,050 papers. Streetvibes provides education about homelessness and affordable housing that many readers would not otherwise get. 29779 0 5310 299569 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 16 16 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 OH X Josh Spring 5134217803 117 E 12th St Cincinnati OH 45202 Josh Spring Executive Director 40 0 X 47536 0 0 Steve Gibbs Co-Chair 3 0 X X 0 0 0 Bonita Campbell Co-Chair 3 0 X X 0 0 0 Chris Wilke Secretary 3 0 X X 0 0 0 Barry Klein Treasurer 3 0 X X 0 0 0 Kate Bennett Trustee 1 0 X 0 0 0 Matthew Horejs Trustee 2 0 X 0 0 0 Bill Joiner Trustee 2 0 X 0 0 0 Willis Nibert Trustee 1 0 X 0 0 0 David Siders Development Committee Chair 3 0 X X 0 0 0 Judge Samantha Silverstein Trustee 1 0 X 0 0 0 Steve Sunderland Trustee 1 0 X 0 0 0 Lawrence Taylor II Trustee 1 0 X 0 0 0 Sister Patricia Wittberg Trustee 1 0 X 0 0 0 Alice Skirtz Trustee 2 0 X 0 0 0 Wilson Willard III Trustee 1 0 X 0 0 0 Reverend Nelson Pierce Trustee 3 0 X 0 0 0 47536 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4404 44731 0 0 0 251291 0 300426 Education Program Fees 813319 31713 31713 0 0 Advocacy and Organizing Income 813319 27109 27109 0 0 Streetvibes Income 513190 5310 5310 0 0 0 0 0 0 64132 10560 0 0 10560 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 733 0 0 0 733 0 733 0 0 733 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 0 0 20 20 375871 64132 0 11313 62749 62749 0 0 0 0 0 0 62442 50305 5502 6635 143779 115834 12668 15277 22755 18332 2005 2418 14753 11885 1300 1568 11266 11266 1746 1746 1825 1825 11940 9620 1052 1268 14832 11949 1307 1576 158 128 14 16 1603 1292 141 170 7531 6067 664 800 Membership Expenses 693 693 0 0 Education Expenses 2021 2021 0 0 Advocacy & Organizing Expenses 884 884 0 0 Streetvibes Expenses 6772 6772 0 0 2644 1038 290 1316 370393 299569 37955 32869 12478 50605 9690 350 177008 12901 165710 164107 186591 152251 374469 367313 32343 15589 1313 9642 4992 41985 21894 X 332484 345419 0 0 332484 345419 374469 367313 X 5478 0 0 -1499 8956 0 X 0 0 0 X 456794 340350 197595 226196 300425 1521360 456794 340350 197595 226196 300425 1521360 66318 1455042 -1611 41984 872 6347 9082 56674 8136 12760 750 21646 1599680 202600 0.90958 0.88032 X Schedule A, Part II, Line 10 OTHER INCOME (SCHED A) - Net fundraising events. RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 0 62491 62491 307902 370393 74079 18520 0 0 74079 74079 111119 62491 62491 18520 18520 27780 0 0 186591 0 10560 0 43400 1499 152252 204934 0 5480 0 22006 1817 186591 206831 0 72 0 0 1969 204934 161307 5959 41247 0 0 1682 206831 163662 0 -821 0 0 1534 161307 1 0 0 0 0 0 106580 106580 0 70428 12901 57527 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 164107 0 0 Greater Cincinnati Foundation Investment Fund 152251 F 152251 Schedule D, Part V, Line 4 USE OF QUASI-ENDOWMENT - Board-designated reserve to provide financial support for operations. Schedule D, Part VII, Line 3 OTHER SECURITIES - This is a portion of a general investment fund maintained by Greater Cincinnati Foundation. The fund is comprised of publicly traded securities carried at market value. 1 Cincinnati Action for Housing Now 545 E Town St Columbus OH 43215 862241637 527 20300 42449 Market Value Canvassing services, Food, Office Rent, Office Supplies, Printing, Software The Homeless Coalition provided financial support and in-kind contributions of goods and services to Cincinnati Action for Housing Now in the fall of 2023 to support a campaign to amend the charter of the City of Cincinnati to include a new revenue source to generate between $40 and $50 million annually for truly affordable housing development and preservation, and to provide the rules and regulations of the administration of these funds. 0 1 Schedule I, Part I, Line 2 This support went to Cincinnati Action for Housing Now. We were very involved in the creation and implementation of strategy by Cincinnati Action for Housing Now. We took part in meetings to determine the effectiveness of the work, and were part of decisions made to adjust course when needed to achieve better outcomes. Form 990, Part I, Line 1 ERADICATION OF HOMELESSNESS: The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition is a unified social action agency, fully committed to its ultimate goal: the eradication of homelessness with respect for the dignity and diversity of its membership, people experiencing homelessness and the community. Our Coalition works towards this goal by coordinating services, educating the public, and engaging in grassroots organizing and advocacy. Form 990, Part III, Line 3 We gave our Mail Service for People Without an Address to Mary Magdalen House. They are one of our member organizations. They provide showers and laundry service for people experiencing homelessness. Given our focus on macro level systemic change it made sense for Mary Magdalen House, which provides daily direct services, to take on this program. Folks utilizing their showers who may have not been utilizing our mail service can now do both at the same location and vice versa. We transferred this service over many months to allow people time to adjust their routines, change their address and for Mary Magdalen to gradually take it on. It is operating well. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 6 MEMBERS - Our Coalition has many members, including both organizations and individuals. Organizations include: direct service providers such as shelters, soup kitchens, housing providers, street outreach organizations and physical and mental health providers; places of worship; civic organizations, advocacy organizations, etc. Both organizations and individuals who are members are committed to our mission and pay an annual due, the amount of which is based on their annual budget or personal circumstances. The Coalition's members elect the organization's trustees. Members generally do not approve decisions of the governing body, nor are they entitled to share the organization's profits or dissolution proceeds. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 7a POWER TO ELECT - Our members elect all of our voting board members. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 11b GOVERNING BODY REVIEW OF FORM 990: This return was reviewed by the Executive Director and was discussed and will be reviewed by the Finance Committee. It will be provided to every member of the Board of Trustees for discussion. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 12c COI POLICY MONITORING: Key employees and Board members are required to annually sign the Conflict of Interest policy. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 15 COMPENSATION REVIEW: The Board of Directors reviews and determines compensation for the Executive Director by methods of analyzing compensation surveys and 990s of other similar organizations. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19 DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE TO PUBLIC: Our Form 990 is available on Guidestar.org, governing documents are available at the Ohio Secretary of State's website, and all these documents are available upon request. Form 990, Part XI, Line 6 DONATED SERVICES: The Homeless Coalition relies heavily on volunteer support and, in truth, we could not exist without it. We benefit immensely from staffing received through the Senior Community Service Employment Program, funded by the US Dept of Labor and the OH Dept of Aging. In addition, we have hundreds of organizations and individuals volunteering their time and all manner of talent on a daily basis. Under IRS and financial accounting rules, however, these donations cannot be financially recognized in this filing. We are requesting the abatement of any penalties that would otherwise be rendered because we are filling this report late. We believe we have reasonable cause for this request, as follows: Our fiscal year in question was from 07-01-2023 to 06-30-2024. In May 2024 we lost our long-time contracted accountant who kept both our books and completed our 990s. Our accountant charged rates that were less than market value. After months of research and outreach, we were not able to find an accounting firm that would charge us the same or similar rate as our previous accountant for bookkeeping and 990 completion. In September 2024, we finally contracted with an accounting firm with which we were able to negotiate rates that were more affordable to us. But unfortunately that firm does not complete or file 990s. Given it was already September, and our new firm would have to catch up on our bookkeeping, we knew we could not file by November 2024, so we requested an extension, moving our due date to May 2025. Between September 2024 when we secured an accounting firm and May 2025 when our 990 report was due, it has taken the new accounting firm significantly more time to be acquainted with our finances than we anticipated. Also, and as a result, it has cost significantly more than we anticipated to get our normal financial reports. Both the unexpected increase in time spent and unexpected high cost, caused us to run out of the time needed to complete our 990 by the due date as well as the funds to pay a separate firm to put it together. As soon as we had a better view of our finance reports, we started to work on the 990 report internally because we did not have the additional funds to pay an outside firm to do so. We got a later start on the 990 than in the past when we had our previous accountant, and we had to complete the 990 internally, which also took significantly more time than if we had been able to afford an outside firm. For these reasons we are submitting our filling after the due date. We are otherwise in compliance with fillings. To prevent this from happening in the future, our contracted accounting firm is now far more familiar with our finances, which should decrease the cost of their services, and we have been working to find a local accountant who can complete our next 990 at a rate we can afford. We have an accountant for work on our next 990 in mind and now have to confirm details. Thank you for your consideration.