Brilliant Corners
Where housing and services come together
Brilliant Corners
EIN: 56-2379862
as of November 2024
as of November 11, 2024
Mission
Brilliant Corners' mission is to create affordable, supportive housing for vulnerable and underserved people, including but not limited to people with intellectual and physical disabilities and those transitioning or diverted from homelessness or institutions.
Ruling year
2004
Executive Director
William Pickel
Main address
854 Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA 94107 USA
Formerly known as
West Bay Housing Corporation
EIN
56-2379862
Housing for people with disabilities
Developmental disability services
Independent living for people with disabilities
Housing development
Population served
People with disabilities
People with diseases and illnesses
Economically disadvantaged people
Veterans
NTEE code
Public Housing (L21)
Independent Housing for People with Disabilities (L24)
Housing Development, Construction, Management (L20)
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
Affiliations
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download other documentsWhat we aim to solve
In California and across the nation, vulnerable people face an unprecedented affordable housing crisis. The affordable housing crisis impacts millions of Americans – none more so than people with disabilities and other vulnerable populations, a majority of whom are extremely low-income (ELI), and often living on fixed incomes. Every state and every large metropolitan area has a housing shortage for these renters. The problem is particularly bad in California: the state is home to the six most expensive counties in the U.S. and 6 of the 10 most expensive metropolitan areas. For every 5 ELI renter households in California, there is only 1 affordable unit available, and California boasts 4 of the 10 metro areas with the most severe ELI rental unit shortage in the nation. This lack of affordable housing has profound consequences for vulnerable individuals. Too often, the result is homelessness, institutionalization, incarceration, substandard housing, or severe rent burdens.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Housing Development
We develop multi-family supportive housing and single-family “shared housing” through new construction, acquisition, rehab, and preservation of “at-risk” housing.
Housing Services
Our supportive housing programs serve over 6,000 people, promoting community integration, greater independence and well-being for people transitioning from homelessness or institutionalization. Brilliant Corners creates and provides cost-effective, individualized housing planning and housing case management services to Regional Center persons served, families, people with other disabilities, and homeless veterans.
Property Management
Brilliant Corners provides person-centered property management for residents who need supportive housing in licensed, unlicensed, single-site, scattered-site settings, and HUD communities. Services include routine and emergency maintenance, accessibility and person-centered modifications, occupied renovations, and long-term asset management and refinancing. We work closely with support agencies to ensure our property management services are tailored to the specific needs of the residents. In addition to managing its owned properties, we offer customized, affordable Property Management services to other owners/operators of supportive housing.
Housing for Health
Brilliant Corners partners with public health, housing and other agencies, such as the San Francisco Department of Public Health and Los Angeles County Department of Health Services to design and implement innovative scattered-site housing programs for people who need rapid access to quality, permanent supportive housing. Goals include improving the health outcomes for vulnerable populations and reduce costs to the public health system.
Case Management
Our team of case managers and social workers provide person-centered, intensive case management through a “whatever it takes” approach. The case management team plays a critical role in supporting clients to achieve long-term housing stability and thrive in their new home. All services are provided within a trauma-informed and harm reduction framework. Brilliant Corners case managers and social workers:
• Assess and re-assess in order to determine an individual’s needs and strengths
• Collaborate with participants to develop individualized service plans that identify short and long-term goals
• Assist clients through the housing location and move-in process
• Meet with clients in their home and in the community
• Provide life skills education and assistance
• Connect clients to a variety of community resources and services
• Provide crisis intervention and safety planning
• Facilitate workshops and events for clients
Where we work
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of homeless participants engaged in housing services
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, People with disabilities
Related Program
Housing Services
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Total number of properties owned and managed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Homeless people, People with intellectual disabilities, People with physical disabilities
Related Program
Property Management
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of supportive living homes built as part of the Community Placement Plan (cumulative)
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People with disabilities
Related Program
Housing Development
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We are actively involved in the funding, planning, identification, acquisition, design, renovation, ownership, management, and maintenance of these residential care facilities.
Number of LA County felony probationers connected to housing navigation and employment services (cumulative)
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Homeless people, Incarcerated people
Related Program
Case Management
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
LA County Probation referred clients who, upon enrolling in Brilliant Corners' Breaking Barriers program, were connected to housing services and an employment assessment from Chrysalis.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn 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?
Our vision is a future in which no Californian is homeless or institutionalized for lack of supportive housing. We believe housing is the cornerstone of health, well-being and independence. Every day we listen to people who face seemingly insurmountable barriers to independent living because of a disability, mental health or medical condition, and we provide housing and services customized to ensure their success. Because when each individual has a corner of the world to call their own, our whole community shines.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Brilliant Corners is where housing and services come together. Our goal is to provide integrated access to both as a package deal, meeting the complex housing needs of people facing barriers to obtaining independent community-based housing. Specifically, we build, acquire and renovate, refinance and preserve licensed community care homes. We also develop, own, and manage multifamily supportive housing. We provide comprehensive person-centered property management services, including accessibility and related modifications. We offer individually tailored housing services, including managing the housing search, handling move-in logistics, operating as tenant-landlord liaison, building retention, and providing fiscal agent services. We work directly with individuals and their case managers, partner with service providers to better meet their clients' housing needs, and implement programs on behalf of the regional centers and other public agencies.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We are California’s leading provider of community-based housing for individuals with developmental disabilities transitioning from Developmental Centers—essentially state hospitals—as part of the Community Placement Plan to create community alternatives to institutional settings. We are actively involved in the funding, planning, identification, acquisition, design, renovation, ownership, management, and maintenance of licensed residential care facilities.
Brilliant Corners is also a pioneer at the intersection of housing and health – having launched and scaled multiple scattered-site supportive housing programs for patients experiencing and at risk of homelessness with complex medical, behavioral and other challenges who are referred by hospitals, health clinics, private health plans, behavioral and mental health agencies, case management providers, and other public agencies.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Much of our success is reflected in our numbers. In the past 10 years, we have secured community-based, affordable, supportive housing for nearly 15,000 of California’s most vulnerable, extremely low-income individuals, the majority transitioning from institutional settings or homelessness. Brilliant Corners manages a mixed portfolio approaching over 200 developed, owned and managed properties, plus well over 4,000 units we broker and control in existing market-rate, affordable, and supportive housing properties.
When we launched the LA County Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool (FHSP) in 2014, our goal was to house 300 individuals in the first year. Now, we house approximately 200 individuals every month. Our success has led us to design and launch additional Flex Pool programs in San Francisco County, San Mateo, and San Diego County.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, 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
-
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 look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, 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 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
-
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2023 info
0.41
Months of cash in 2023 info
1.4
Fringe rate in 2023 info
18%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
Brilliant Corners
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 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: Jul 01 - Jun 30
This snapshot of Brilliant Corners’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.
Created in partnership with
Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $22,277,751 | $19,645,314 | $29,399,984 | $24,980,559 | $16,110,219 |
| As % of expenses | 10.1% | 6.9% | 7.7% | 8.6% | 30.2% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $17,915,744 | $14,592,869 | $24,263,277 | $19,271,224 | $9,913,882 |
| As % of expenses | 7.9% | 5.0% | 6.3% | 6.5% | 16.6% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $241,042,312 | $312,507,873 | $415,383,288 | $319,264,097 | $73,932,609 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 54.2% | 29.6% | 32.9% | -23.1% | -76.8% |
| Program services revenue | 13.9% | 5.7% | 9.1% | 11.2% | 53.2% |
| 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 | 84.8% | 89.2% | 86.2% | 82.6% | 46.8% |
| All other grants and contributions | 1.3% | 5.1% | 4.7% | 6.2% | 0.0% |
| Other revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $221,261,824 | $284,760,884 | $382,802,365 | $289,355,717 | $53,418,697 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 76.9% | 28.7% | 34.4% | -24.4% | -81.5% |
| Personnel | 8.2% | 8.6% | 7.2% | 11.4% | 31.0% |
| Professional fees | 6.0% | 2.1% | 3.7% | 10.3% | 3.5% |
| Occupancy | 1.0% | 1.1% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 1.2% |
| Interest | 2.2% | 1.9% | 1.5% | 2.1% | 11.9% |
| Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 3.6% |
| All other expenses | 82.5% | 86.2% | 87.0% | 75.6% | 48.8% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $225,623,831 | $289,813,329 | $387,939,072 | $295,065,052 | $59,615,034 |
| One month of savings | $18,438,485 | $23,730,074 | $31,900,197 | $24,112,976 | $4,451,558 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $585,427 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $29,301,120 | $21,767,905 | $26,305,623 | $23,648,763 | $26,722,781 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $273,363,436 | $335,311,308 | $446,144,892 | $343,412,218 | $90,789,373 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 0.6 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.4 |
| Months of cash and investments | 0.6 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.4 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 4.9 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $11,563,404 | $33,237,937 | $41,239,754 | $42,691,461 | $6,195,132 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $32,594,956 | $45,706,892 | $40,330,115 | $38,654,212 | $62,189,752 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $231,887,936 | $253,281,375 | $279,571,754 | $303,190,117 | $329,667,333 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 6.5% | 7.8% | 8.9% | 10.1% | 11.1% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 55.9% | 56.2% | 51.8% | 47.7% | 43.9% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $117,167,328 | $131,760,197 | $156,023,474 | $175,294,698 | $187,082,891 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $2,226,921 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $2,226,921 | $10,328,596 | $12,357,146 | $17,284,967 | $21,688,660 |
| Total net assets | $119,394,249 | $142,088,793 | $168,380,620 | $192,579,665 | $208,771,551 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Executive Director
William Pickel
William F. Pickel joined Brilliant Corners as Executive Director in November 2007. During his tenure, he has been fortunate to work with internal and external partners who shared and operationalized his belief in the power of supportive housing to change lives and improve communities. During his decade with the organization, Brilliant Corners has emerged as a leading supportive housing provider with a track record of piloting, replicating and scaling system-changing programs–particularly programs for people transitioning from homelessness or institutionalization. He has championed the agency’s re-branding, its alignment with the guiding principles of supportive housing, its geographic expansion outside the Bay Area, its missional openness to serving a range of vulnerable individuals who could benefit from supportive housing–and its steadfast commitment to its home region and to housing for people with developmental disabilities.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Brilliant Corners
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
Brilliant Corners
Highest paid employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
Brilliant Corners
Board of directorsas of 10/31/2023
Board of directors data
Shamus Roller
National Housing Law Project
Term: 2020 -
Bob Mills
Goldfarb & Lipman
Navneet Grewal
Litigation Counsel, Civil Rights Practice Group at Disability Rights California
Earl Edwards
Research Fellow, California Policy Lab at UCLA and UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools, Doctoral Candidate at the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies
Nancy Conk
CAC Consulting
Chris Ko
United Way of Greater Los Angeles
Donny Lieberman
President and CEO, Sunseri Construction
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
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? No
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
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 10/12/2023GuideStar 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 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 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 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.
Contractors
Fiscal year endingGuideStar Pro Reports
Report successfully added to your cart!
Want more data?
A GuideStar Pro report containing the following information is available for this organization:
- Email contact information
- Financial trends metrics for five most recent years 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019*
- Financial statements for 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018
- Letter of Determination
- Officer and/or Employee data for 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019
- Contractor and/or Paid Preparer data for 2023, 2022, 2021
- Board of Directors data for 2023
- *with the ability to download the data for 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019
Download it now for $125.
Need the ability to download nonprofit data and more advanced search options?Consider a Pro Search subscription.