Homicide Survivors Inc
Hope and Healing
Homicide Survivors Inc
EIN: 86-0889964
as of September 2023
as of September 18, 2023
Mission
Homicide Survivors, Inc. is a nonprofit victim assistance organization dedicated to meeting the crisis and long term needs of families of murder victims. Through support, advocacy and assistance we help survivors cope emotionally, stabilize economically and help survivors seek justice for their loved ones. Homicide Survivors is committed to ensuring that no one has to endure the murder of a loved one alone. We can’t change the tragic loss, but together, we can ease the pain & prevent further victimization.
Ruling year
1998
Executive Director
Dennisse Ley
Main address
2315 E Speedway Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85719 USA
EIN
86-0889964
Public safety
Human services
Special population support
Population served
Ethnic and racial groups
Social and economic status
NTEE code
Services to Promote the Independence of Specific Populations (P80)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Yoga Therapy & Equine Therapy
HSI provides two unique approaches, equine assisted therapy (EAT) and trauma sensitive yoga therapy to help survivors cope with the severe emotional impact of losing someone to homicide. If indicated, HSI refers clients to a licensed mental health provider.
Equine assisted therapy (EAT) is a therapeutic intervention in which horses are used as tools for survivors to confront negative thoughts and behaviors, and learn the skills needed to thrive in the future. Sessions are held twice a year, over three to four consecutive Saturdays. Several survivors have participated in EAT and expressed life changing results. One survivor stated that “[equine] showed me how to let go of negative people, feelings and comments because animals don't judge they give you love & compassion."
Trauma sensitive yoga creates an environment where survivors have a chance to safely experiment with movement, breathing practices, and meditation as a vehicle for healthy responses to triggers. Feedback from a survivor who attends yoga stated: “Yoga has taught me to breathe and to let go of my fears." The one-hour class is offered once a week by an HSI credentialed Victim Advocate and certified trauma-informed yoga instructor.
Emergency Financial Assistance
Homicide Survivors, Inc. (HSI) has served the family and friends of homicide victims in Arizona since 1982. HSI is the only non-profit that specializes in providing comprehensive services to this special population in Southern Arizona. HSI Advocates provide emotional support, legal advocacy, and financial assistance for Survivors experiencing the traumatic aftermath of losing a loved one to homicide. All HSI services are available to Survivors, including the victim's extended family and friends, at no cost.
On an annual basis, HSI provides support services to over 2,000 unique individuals throughout Arizona. HSI serves a variety of demographics, with approximately 70% of Survivors identifying as people of color. 68% of the families HSI supports identify as low-income households. 70% of Survivors supported identifying as female, and 20% were children under the age of twelve. Most Survivors receiving support from HSI reside in Pima and Cochise counties, including tribal lands such as t
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Homicide Survivors, Inc (HSI), based in Tucson, Arizona, provides comprehensive services for families impacted by
homicide throughout Arizona and beyond. HSI Advocates provide advocacy, emotional support, and financial assistance for Survivors experiencing the traumatic aftermath of losing a loved one to homicide. All HSI services are available to Survivors, including the victim's extended family and friends, at no cost.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve
Financials
Revenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2022 info
4.98
Months of cash in 2022 info
1.1
Fringe rate in 2022 info
42%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
Homicide Survivors Inc
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30
This snapshot of Homicide Survivors Inc’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
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Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2017 | 2018 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $5,178 | -$1,650 | $62,894 | -$328,498 | $29,100 |
| As % of expenses | 1.7% | -1.3% | 11.0% | -35.4% | 4.8% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $4,611 | -$2,116 | $60,213 | -$331,178 | $26,419 |
| As % of expenses | 1.5% | -1.7% | 10.5% | -35.6% | 4.4% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $310,553 | $65,041 | $572,836 | $622,679 | $629,201 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 15.9% | -79.1% | 0.0% | 8.7% | 1.0% |
| Program services revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Government grants | 77.1% | 96.6% | 73.0% | 85.4% | 77.2% |
| All other grants and contributions | 22.9% | 3.4% | 27.0% | 14.4% | 22.6% |
| Other revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $305,375 | $124,049 | $570,054 | $927,705 | $600,102 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | -1.5% | -59.4% | 0.0% | 62.7% | -35.3% |
| Personnel | 73.8% | 61.1% | 75.2% | 56.2% | 83.6% |
| Professional fees | 6.6% | 4.3% | 4.2% | 7.2% | 5.1% |
| Occupancy | 5.6% | 8.6% | 7.5% | 1.4% | 1.2% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pass-through | 8.4% | 13.0% | 2.7% | 21.9% | 1.5% |
| All other expenses | 5.6% | 13.0% | 10.5% | 13.3% | 8.6% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2017 | 2018 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $305,942 | $124,515 | $572,735 | $930,385 | $602,783 |
| One month of savings | $25,448 | $10,337 | $47,505 | $77,309 | $50,009 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $8,582 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $331,390 | $143,434 | $620,240 | $1,007,694 | $652,792 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2017 | 2018 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 9.8 | 20.0 | 3.2 | 0.2 | 1.1 |
| Months of cash and investments | 9.8 | 20.0 | 3.2 | 0.2 | 1.1 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 21.5 | 51.8 | 10.8 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2017 | 2018 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $248,356 | $206,684 | $152,080 | $16,475 | $52,774 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $0 | $93,395 | $127,211 | $115,044 | $0 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $8,506 | $23,301 | $23,301 | $23,301 | $23,301 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 16.7% | 11.8% | 34.8% | 46.3% | 57.8% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 5.4% | 8.6% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $554,217 | $556,308 | $528,925 | $197,747 | $112,477 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total net assets | $554,217 | $556,308 | $528,925 | $197,747 | $112,477 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2017 | 2018 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Executive Director
Dennisse Ley
After Gail Leland’s 14-year-old son, Richard, was murdered in 1981, she recognized the need for support for parents of murdered children. She founded the charter chapter of Parents of Murdered Children (POMC) in Tucson, Arizona, on February 19, 1982, which later became Homicide Survivors, Inc.
In the beginning, this all volunteer group offered support & advice to families of murder victims. Support groups were held at member’s homes, and later at other meeting places in the community. Between support meetings, members offered much needed support by telephone. A primary concern for most victims was a lack of information and help. It became evident that victims had few if any rights in the criminal justice system and there was no financial assistance for victims. As the group grew, our mission expanded to include crime victim rights advocacy and assistance. As the POMC charter did not allow for the provision of these services, we formed a separate nonprofit called Homicide Survivors, Inc
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Homicide Survivors Inc
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
Homicide Survivors Inc
Highest paid employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
Homicide Survivors Inc
Board of directorsas of 06/14/2023
Board of directors data
Monique Vallery
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 06/14/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
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