Central Okanagan Emergency Shelter Society

Central Okanagan Emergency Shelter Society is a charitable organization based in Kelowna, British Columbia, classified by the CRA under organizations relieving poverty. It appears on the charity register the way hospitals, universities, and other publicly funded bodies do — to issue tax receipts — rather than as a donation-driven charity in the usual sense. In its fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, it reported $4M in revenue and $3.8M in expenditures.

Its funding that year was roughly 70% from government, 8% from other charities. Government funding is the majority of its budget. In 2024, 30 other registered charities reported granting it a combined $521K.

Compared with 1,618 poverty-relief institutions of similar size, its share of spending on mission — charitable programs plus grants to other charities — ranked above 36% of peers. Its fundraising cost per donated dollar was higher than 88% of that peer group. Its highest-paid position fell in the $120,000–159,999 range. The charity reported 38 permanent full-time positions.

Revenue has grown substantially over its filings on record here, from $1.8M in 2020 to $4M in 2024. Its filed list of directors and trustees shows 9 names.