Solutions for Change Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It owes more than it owns.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
To solve family homelessness, one family, one community at a time.
- Income
- $3.9 million
- Spending
- $4.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 75%
- Reserves
- -39.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 73%
- Employees
- 35
- Volunteers
- 625
- Highest pay
- $141,118, president & ceo
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
Weak: 29 out of 100. Higher than 2% of charities in its peer group (human services, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
0 of 20It owes 170% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 8% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 4% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1575% 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 65% of charities in its peer group (human services, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2510 of 10 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 (1)
- $3.1 million spent. With increased emphasis on its workforce development, child welfare interventions and adult empowerment programs, Solutions for Change continued its decades long promise to operate its residential family recovery programs drugfree and accountability based. Due to an aggressive multibillion dollar expansion of the dependency-making Housing First approach, a systemwide set of policies that enable the once homeless to use illicit drugs, remain unemployed and refuse services while living in public funded housing, Solutions is now one of the last remaining homeless housing and service orgs that deliver results that end dependency. The decision to stand firm on its core values to solve the root causes of family homelessness resulted in the nonprofit making the decision to voluntarily return over $83 million in hard fought family housing resources. The decision was made after years of legal wrangling when it became evident that no federal, state, or local resources would help protect homeless parents and their children from the explosion of an enabled drug culture riddled with overdose, deaths and criminal impacts, all of which pointed back to Housing First. Although those losses greatly impacted the people and programs of Solutions for Change, the organization recommitted to a multiyear repurposing effort, free of government funding, that began in earnest in 2022. Called We Are One Us, the effort involves over 100 Solutions for Change graduates, called Overcomers, who have rallied around the nonprofit to advance its mission and vision of solving the root causes of family homelessness. With the Overcomers leading the way the question they are asking is: What if the answer to the homeless problem is staring us all in the face? What if the solution is the homeless themselves, engaged in a purposeful way and equipped and inspired into jobs that end dependency for others like them, through initiatives like what Solutions for Change builds and implements?
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 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 December 2024.
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 2000.
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.