Bethany House Services Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Bethany House Services empowers homeless and at-risk families with the solutions to achieve housing stability and long-term self-sufficiency.
- Income
- $12.4 million
- Spending
- $10.6 million
- Spent on programs
- 82%
- Reserves
- 21.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 55%
- Employees
- 97
- Volunteers
- 266
- Highest pay
- $153,654, coo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 85% of charities in its peer group (housing, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 21.8 months of spending.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 37% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 15% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 22% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1582% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 44% of charities in its peer group (housing, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2519 of 19 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 December 31, 2024, 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 (4)
- $2.5 million spent. Bethany House provides emergency shelter for families experiencing homelessness those living on the streets, in their cars, or other places considered unfit for human habitation. Shelter services include safety, meals, case management, life skills classes, children's programming, mental health assessment and connections with community service providers. Bethany House strives to meet not only the immediate physical needs of every family member while they are in shelter, but also to provide the family unit with the skills, knowledge and support needed to establish a stable home. Each family works with a social worker who supports them through identifying their needs and barriers, then provides connections to appropriate community resources. All staff are trained in trauma informed care, considered best practice by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)and the National Stabilization on Family Homelessness. Trauma-informed care promotes a culture of safety, empowerment, and healing. Children's programming provides group sessions; assisting with enrollment in childcare or school; developmental assessments for children under 5.5 yrs.; socialization outings into the community; referrals for mental and physical health issues. Families who have exited from shelter are followed and provided with post-shelter stabilization services as needed to avoid repeated episodes of homelessness.In 2024, 274 families received comprehensive shelter services: 1050 individuals, 689 of whom were under the age of 18. Outcomes remained very good despite the challenges presented with increased rental rates and shortage of affordable housing; 93% of the families who exited from shelter during the year moved into a positive housing situation; 51% of families who exited did so with increased or maintained income.
- $5.2 million spent. Bethany House offers two types of Housing Stabilization programs. Housing Stabilization includes a combination of Rehousing upon exiting shelter and Prevention to help maintain housing and avoid homelessness.Rehousing programs are funded by the local HUD Unified Funding Agency and includes:Rapid Rehousing - This programs provides case management to assist families in identifying appropriate affordable housing as quickly as possible to minimize the trauma of the homelessness experience. Housing social workers guide the parent through a process of recognizing and overcoming their barriers to obtaining housing, connect them to mainstream benefits, identify ways to increase income, provide referrals to community mental health and other service providers, and stabilize the family in housing. The program includes short-to-medium term financial assistance to utility assistance payments and rental deposits. Children in high-risk families are followed by housing case managers to ensure they are enrolled and attending school. Permanent supportive housing - programs are available to homeless families when at least one member has a permanent disability or serious, persistent condition. Permanent supportive housing is a combination of housing and services intended as a cost-effective way to help all people live more stable, productive lives. Case management services are more intensive in this program to meet the greater needs of the families and although rapid rehousing program assistance is time-limited, permanent supportive case management and financial assistance services are not. In 2024, BHS served 259 families, 943 individuals, and 621 of them children across all rehousing programs.Prevention programming is funded through federal, state, local, and private funding and includes:Shelter Diversion identifies immediate permanent housing and provides case management and rental assistance for families at imminent risk of homelessness. Shelter Diversion is more cost-effective than entering an Emergency Shelter, plus the family avoids the trauma of homelessness. In 2024, BHS served 89 families, 240 individuals, and 143 of them children. KEYS is a different shelter diversion program for youth age 18-24. BHS works with parenting youth as our specialty in the national youth homelessness project, working with individuals in the age range who are often doubled up and at risk of becoming fully homelessness if not for our intervention toward housing stabilization and increased income. In 2024, BHS served 20 families, 48 individuals, and 27 of them children.Aftercare provides a safety net for families who have left shelter but experience an emergency situation that threatens their housing stability. No matter how long it has been since the family experienced homelessness, Aftercare provides landlord mediation, emergency financial assistance, connections to relevant community agencies - whatever it takes for the family to keep their home and prevent another episode of homelessness. In 2024, BHS served 89 families, 359 individuals, 252 of them children.In 2024 BHS Housing Stabilization programs combined served, 457 families. These families included 1,582 individuals, 1,030 of whom were children.
- $848,021 spent. Bethany House Family Services Department programs address the multi-generational aspect of family homelessness by providing parents with the life skills for positive parenting and by teaching children to make healthy choices.The Positive Parenting, Family Nights, Nutrition, Health, and Safety programs are some of the activities facilitated by the Family Services department or community partners, and are designed to promote stronger relationships in addition to the core content. Bethany House staff emphasize the importance of education and regular school attendance, which is vital if the multi-generational cycle of poverty and homelessness is to be broken. In 2024, 164 therapeutic groups held in Kidz Zone; 216 children were identified as special needs and 55 were diagnosed dual diagnosis; 807 referrals including 4C for Children, JFS for Childcare, Safe Keep/Pack & Play, CAA Headstart Homes based program, Cradle Cincinnati, Every Child Succeeds/Help Grow, Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank, and Kaleidoscope-Co Stars to mention a few; and 23 outing with 331 combined parent and child participants.In combination with one-on-one case management support, Life Skills group programs provide a foundation for prevention of future episodes of homelessness. These educational sessions are taught by experts from the community and BHS staff. Speakers address topics such as financial literacy, budgeting, parenting, developing healthy relationships, healthy choices, nutrition, yoga and tenants' rights. Job-related skills such as resume writing and interviewing are also taught. In 2024, 839 life skills groups were held.Through the nutrition program, families are provided three meals and two snacks per day.
- $220,947 spent. Bethany Homes is a 24-unit apartment building for economically challenged individuals and families, most of whom are supported by a single female working provider. Every family who comes into the shelter needs permanent, safe, affordable housing. Since 2000, Bethany House Services has been the lead agency for funding of case management services for the homeless families in Cincinnati. The level of collaboration among the three agencies within the Family Housing Partnership (FHP) is unique in Cincinnati's social services arena, and today the partnership is stronger than ever. In 2024, the FHP Agencies, Bethany House Services, Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati, and YWCA Greater Cincinnati, made great strides in the implementation of Solutions for Family Homelessness (S4FH), the community-wide plan to make family homelessness rare, brief and a one-time event. In addition, all employees participate in an evidence-based Trauma Informed Care training.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since July 1984.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 October 7, 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.