Ascencia
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
TO LIFT PEOPLE OF OUT HOMELESSNESS, ONE PERSON, ONE FAMILY AT A TIME.
- Income
- $6.0 million
- Spending
- $6.9 million
- Spent on programs
- 84%
- Reserves
- -1.9 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 80%
- Employees
- 58
- Volunteers
- 759
- Highest pay
- $143,765, executive dir.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 35 out of 100. Higher than 13% of charities in its peer group (housing, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 43% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 15% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 0% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1584% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 70% of charities in its peer group (housing, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2521 of 22 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $5.8 million spent. The Organization operates the following programs: The Access Center serves as the Coordinated Entry System (CES) for all clients in the Glendale Continuum of Care by providing standardized assessment of all clients that prioritizes the most vulnerable for housing placement. Services include street outreach, comprehensive screening and assessment of client needs, and case management with specializations in mental health, substance use disorders, housing location, employment, financial literacy, occupational therapy, tele-psychiatry, psychotherapy, art therapy for children, and veterans services. Services based at the Access Center are client-centered and use a trauma-informed approach to support client use of services. The Organizations Outreach Teams canvas streets to offer services to people experiencing homelessness, respond to calls from the community to help people experiencing homelessness, and provide essential transportation to connect clients to needed services. The Access Center case management staff conducts a thorough review of each persons social, economic and health needs and tailors a plan for continuing services at the Organization or makes a responsible referral to an appropriate provider. Case Managers assist clients by helping them clarify priorities, identify resources, and facilitate short and long-term planning. The on-site mobile medical unit and trauma therapists give clients access to essential mental health services, and volunteers provide additional services including blood pressure screening and haircuts. Ascencia leads the Glendale CES, and supports the CES in the east San Fernando Valley, Northeast Los Angeles, Hollywood, and West Hollywood. Emergency Housing for 60-90 days for single adults and 120 days for families with minor children to help people address an immediate crisis. Entering adult clients must pass a Megans Law check, are encouraged to save money, and participate in case management services, which are provided through the Access Center. The 45-bed program can accommodate families of any size and configuration; children of any age are permitted. Volunteers provide substantial enrichment to the program; for example, school age children receive tutoring from School on Wheels, and volunteers and Guest Chefs purchase, prepare and serve meals for the residents each night by utilizing hundreds of volunteers a year from religious organizations, businesses, and service clubs. Scattered Site Permanent Supportive Housing for chronically homeless families and single adults provides a permanent home with social services support to ensure housing stability. The program focuses on helping families and individuals with disabilities and histories of extended or repeated homelessness overcome the physical and emotional setbacks of homelessness. This program, which converted from a family transitional housing program, in 2014, encountered difficulties finding families that met the HUD criteria for chronic homelessness. As a result, some of the units have been converted to single person households. The program is currently serving twelve households including 16 adults and 5 children. Next Step Permanent Supportive Housing provides a critical housing opportunity for single chronically homeless adults in recovery from alcohol or drug addiction. Clients in this program have completed residential rehabilitation but need more time to establish their sobriety and repair the substantial damage done to their credit, employability and personal relationships following long-term alcohol and/or drug abuse and homelessness. As a permanent housing program, clients have the opportunity to work at their own pace to rebuild their lives, and the Organization staff provide the support and guidance to help them. Services include financial literacy training, recovery support groups, small grants for education, guidance on credit repair, and referrals for legal services. Housing Now Permanent Supportive Housing for chronically homeless single adults. program, a 14-unit, scattered site program provides a permanent home with social services support to ensure housing stability. The program focuses on helping individuals with disabilities and histories of extended or repeated homelessness overcome the physical and emotional setbacks of homelessness. H.E.L.P. Permanent Supportive Housing for chronically homeless families and single adults provides a permanent home with social services support to ensure housing stability. The program focuses on helping families and individuals with disabilities and histories of extended or repeated homelessness overcome the physical and emotional setbacks of homelessness. The program is currently serving 19 households including 15 single adults and five families with children. Foundation grants such as Dignity Health Foundation, and Providence Health have enabled us to continue to provide supportive housing for vulnerable, high-cost users of hospital services since the Social Innovation Fund 5year grant ended in 2017. Originally known as the 10th Decile Project, Ascencia staff work with local hospitals to identify eligible patients. Services include assisting clients in connecting to housing and a medical home, and navigating needed health, nutrition education, assistance with daily living, financial literacy, occupational therapy, and other services to stabilize them in permanent supportive housing and to reduce their impact on emergency services. The City of West Hollywood contracts with Ascencia to provide two street outreach teams, case management, reserves ten emergency housing beds for West Hollywood referrals, and provides Housing Retention Services. Ascencia provides services by contracting with the Department of Health Services to provide intensive supportive case management services to 340 clients placed in permanent supportive housing through Housing for Health. The Housing Location Navigator position serves as Ascencias cultivator of units by deve
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since June 2006.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.