Downtown Mission of Windsor is a 4-star, financially transparent charity with an above-average B+ results reporting grade. It has $261k in reserves that can cover just under one month of its annual program spending. It also has 24% overhead spending. For every dollar donated, 76 cents are available to go to the cause.

Founded in 1982, Downtown Mission of Windsor (DMW) is a Christian charity operating out of Windsor. It offers a wide range of services to the city’s homeless and disadvantaged populations such as short-term emergency housing, food distribution from the charity’s food bank, job skills training, addictions recovery, and youth services. According to the charity, 200 people live on Windsor's streets each night.

DMW runs six programs: Shelter Services, Food Services, Youth Services, Social Enterprise & Jobs Training, FRESH, and Addictions Recovery. It spent $3.3m on its programs in the December 2024 fiscal year.

Shelter Services was 45% of DMW’s program spending. The charity offers beds, showers, and meals to those in need at its Night Sanctuary shelter. In 2024, DMW provided 34,144 nights of shelter (31,129 in 2023). It also served 139,667 meals at its shelter in 2024.

Food Services was 20% of DMW’s program spending. The charity operates The Mission Food Bank where it distributes food to those in need. In 2024, the charity distributed 276,624 meals (365,075 in 2023) to 17,630 individuals (24,205 in 2023).

Youth Services was 13% of DMW’s program spending. At the charity’s Windsor Youth Centre, youth aged 16-29 receive basic needs support, classes, and referrals to other charities. DMW provided 3,999 youths clothing and hygiene products, referred 235 youths to partner agencies, and provide educational support to 34 young families during 2024.

Social Enterprise & Jobs Training was 12% of DMW’s program spending. The charity provides “job ready” skills to those looking for work and helps those who receive training find work. In 2024, DMW provided skills training to 14 people (54 in 2023).

FRESH was 5% of DMW’s program spending and refers to its food recovery efforts. The charity reportedly rescues food from local farmers and grocers before distributing it to schools, food banks, and other organizations. In 2024, DMW rescued 1,605,267 lb of food (valued at $4.1 million) and distributed this food to 45 organizations.

Addictions Recovery was 5% of DMW’s program spending and refers to the charity’s Phoenix Recovery Program designed for clients suffering with addiction. In 2024, the charity supported 698 people (661 adults and 37 youths) in this program. It also reversed 175 opioid overdoses in 2024.

Downtown Mission of Windsor’s audited financial statements follow line-item costing as they do not clearly separate expenses by program, administrative, and fundraising activities. This is not a best practice.

In 2024, DMW received $2.6m in donations (38% of total revenue) and $1.5m worth of government funding (23% of revenue). It also received $2.4m worth of non-cash donated goods (34% of revenue).

Administrative costs are 13% of revenue and fundraising costs are 11% of donations. Its 24% total overhead means that for every dollar donated, 76 cents are available to go to the cause. This is within C’s reasonable range.

DMW spent $3.3m cash on program operations in 2024 – an 11% increase from $3.0m spent in 2023. It also distributed $2.4m worth of goods in 2024.

At the end of 2024, DMW had $518k gross and $261 net reserves (cash and investments). Ci backed out $257k worth of interest-bearing debts from its gross reserves. Its net reserves can cover 8% or just under one month of its annual program spending.

Profile updated by Julian Dranitsaris on July 16, 2025. Comments and corrections may be forthcoming.

Questions? Contact jdranitsaris@charityintelligence.ca