Nicholas House Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
NICHOLAS HOUSE'S MISSION IS TO HELP FAMILIES EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT BY PROVIDING THEM WITH STABLE HOUSING WHILE ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSES OF THEIR HOMELESSNESS SO THAT THEY NEVER BECOME HOMELESS AGAIN.
- Income
- $3.5 million
- Spending
- $3.4 million
- Spent on programs
- 80%
- Reserves
- 2.9 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 46%
- Employees
- 41
- Volunteers
- 1,668
- Highest pay
- $154,217, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 75 out of 100. Higher than 62% of charities in its peer group (housing, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 2.9 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 11% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 2% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 44% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1580% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 22 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 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 2518 of 18 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 August 31, 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)
- $2.8 million spent. During the 2024-2025 fiscal year, Nicholas House continued serving homeless families by providing housing and services to 600 people (homeless children and parents). We currently provide housing and services to nearly 300 people each night through a variety of programs that assist families experiencing homelessness at various stages of need. Summary of our primary efforts are: Housing Stability: Housing Stability is a program for families with some income who need financial assistance to stay in their current home and without our financial assistance would lose their home and experience homelessness. Nicholas House pays for rent/utility arrears to help families avoid eviction and provides case management to ensure future success. 223 people avoided eviction through this program with $2,054.76 being the average assistance to help a family avoid experiencing homelessness. 97% of families were able to pay their own housing expenses 3 months and 12 months after assistance was provided. Homeless to Homes (H2H) moves families experiencing homelessness into their own apartments of their choice and out of emergency shelters or other places not meant for habitation. Families pay 30% of their income toward rent with the remainder paid by the program until they can take over complete payment of rent with growing income. Nicholas House provides case management and support services to help families reach their income and other family goals. 138 people were assisted in this program and 95% of families had the ability to pay their own housing expenses 12 months after exit from the program and 80% were able to pay their own housing expenses 24 months after exit from the program. Boulevard Shelter: A safe place to stay for families with no income who need a place to stabilize and gain employment. Nicholas House provides a safe group home for families of any size or makeup to keep families intact and from living in a place not meant for habitation. Many other shelters may separate families and genders, but Nicholas House keeps families together. Families are provided case management and wrap around services to help them move into their own home as quickly as possible. 113 people had a safe place to sleep last year with an average stay of 2 months in our Boulevard Shelter. 89% move into a permanent home after leaving our shelter. New Horizons: Permanent supportive housing for parents with chronic health conditions that make it difficult for them to maintain stable housing for their families. Families are provided immediate housing in their own apartment and are surrounded with services to address their physical and mental health needs, as well as overall case management support. We increased the families served by this program more than 1/3 from the previous year. 196 were provided rental assistance and case management support in this program during the year. Aftercare: In a unique effort, Nicholas House follows all families after they leave our programs for up to two years in order to maintain contact, assess long-term success, ensure full transition to self sufficiency and ensure no unforeseen problems care a relapse back into homelessness. Over the last five years, over 90% of families have continued to maintain their own housing and have not experienced homelessness again. Nearly two thirds of the people served by Nicholas House are children. The unique education, emotional, social and behavioral needs of the children we serve are addressed by the family case manager. Evening activities and programming are designed for different age groups. For example, financial education for parents is paired with age-appropriate financial education for youth and children at the same time. Adult Education/Training: Creating a new future by defining goals and providing educational and training support to help our participants thrive is also included in our programs. Each family establishes an individual service plan tailored to identify and address the unique needs of each family. Regular meetings with a case manager ensure accountability toward achieving the plan. Case Management is supported by financial literary, employment and life skills workshops. Resources and referrals in support of the families' needs are provided to parents and children, such as meals/food, diapers, transportation, employment resources and healthcare access.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 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 August 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 April 1988.
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.