Safe Organized Spaces Richmond
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
At SOS Richmond, we believe trusted community and warm support make big life changes possible. Our model employs our unhoused neighbors to holistically serve and accompany their peers on the journey from tent to home. This engagement meets people with trust, care, and dignity, and our workforce and wellness services open doors for personal change. By partnering homeless lived expertise with community-based organizations, we lower barriers to care so people can be safe and secure.
- Income
- $973,404
- Spending
- $850,779
- Spent on programs
- 82%
- Reserves
- 3.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 87%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 10
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
Fair: 65 out of 100. Higher than 36% of charities in its peer group (human services, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.2 months of spending.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 31% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 13% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 18% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1582% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 10 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
Fair: 59 out of 100. Higher than 31% of charities in its peer group (human services, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 258 of 8 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no 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.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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 (2)
- $606,831 spent. SOS Richmond staff, of whom 81% of the 53 employed in the first half of 2025 had lived experience of homelessness, provide an array of Engagement Services : In-Encampment Services include harm reduction, trash cleanup, survival gear distribution, and peer support during encampment removals. Mobile Services include mobile showers, laundry, potable water and food delivery, and transportation, opening a low-barrier gateway to community resources. To build sustainable futures, a Job Readiness Program transitionally employs unhoused individuals and offers paid work experience, 1:1 coaching, classroom training, as well as opportunities for extended and regular employment. In the first half of 2025 SOS delivered 1,522 showers, 1,934 laundry visits, disposed of 148 tons of trash, and employed 40 unhoused and recently unhoused individuals.
- $88,762 spent. The Warm Hand Wellness Centers, hosted by SOS Richmond, are pioneering, new low-barrier service hubs that provide a dignified pathway from tent to home. Serving as a vital nexus, it convenes workforce development, wellness support, and care advocacy under one roof. Its transformative model is rooted in the power of peer-led, trusted relationships with others who share lived experience of homelessness that bridge connections between unhoused neighbors and a network of over 22 partner organizations. Through its "wellness-first" approach, The Warm Hand effectively engages the community's unhoused individuals, seeing 920 visits to our wellness centers in the first half of 2025. In this way the SOS Richmonds Warm Hand Wellness centers are creating sustainable pathways to stability.
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 October 13, 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 2022.
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 October 21, 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.