Grace Smith House Inc.

“The bylaws were revised on march 25, 2015. Revisions include: 1. Updated article i with a section on territory of which the organization serves. 2. Article ii now dictates the organization's mission. 3. Article iii now dictates that there are no members of the organization. 4. Article iv, which dictates information on the board of directors, has been expanded to include sections on the selection procedure, directorships, vacancies, suspension and removal, action by the board, and attendance. 5. New articles include: fiscal year and financial auditing and reporting, contracts, loans, bank checks, drafts, and bank deposits, comepnsation, reimbursement and loans, executive compensation, statutory compliance, prohibited conduct, obligation and related policies, and fundamental corporate changes. 6. The bylaws now includes appendices which include: policy definitions, the conflicts of interest policy, the code of ethical conduct, the whistleblower policy, the audit oversight policy, and the indemnification and insurance policy.”

“Grace smith house, inc. Has its form 990 prepared by an outside accounting firm and has established the following review process to ensure that the information reported is complete and accurate. When the form 990 has been prepared, reviewed by management and is ready to be filed with the internal revenue service, it is electronically sent to the board members of the organization for any comments. Any comments are then grouped, summarized and provided to the outside accountants. Each issue is documented and addressed until the return is finalized and approved for filing.”

“The conflict of interest policy is applicable to all board members and officers for the organization. After disclosure of the conflict of interest and all material facts, and after any discussion with the interested person, the board shall discuss the potential conflict of interest and vote upon whether to proceed with the transaction or agreement. An interested person shall not participate in or be permitted to hear the board's discussion on the potential conflict of interest. An interested person shall not vote on the issue or attempt to exert his or her personal influence with respect to the matter. An interested person's ineligibility to vote shall be reflected in the minutes of the board meeting. Annually all board members and officers shall sign a statement affirming that they have read and understood the organization's conflict of interest, and that any actual or potential conflicts have been disclosed.”

“Each job in the agency is assigned to a salary level. Within each level there is a minimum salary and a maximum salary. Once an employee reaches the maximum salary, the employee is no longer eligible to receive a salary increase. Exceptions for an employee who is paid outside the range must be approved by the personnel committee. The executive director and cfo's salaries are determined by the executive committee and the chair of personnel committee. The salary is based on a review of comparable salaries in other agencies and on the annual performance evaluations. The board approves the salary of the executive director and the cfo at the same time as the approval of the operating budget, and such approval is documented in the board minutes. This approval of salaries was last done in 2015 as an integrated component of the annual agency budget approval process.”

“The organization makes its form 990 available for public inspection as required under section 6104 of the internal revenue code. The return is posted on guidestar.org and other similar types of websites. In addition, the financial statements, articles of incorporation, form 990, form 1023, conflict of interest policy, and by-laws are also available upon written request or by calling the organization directly.”

“Founded in 1981, the mission of grace smith house is to enable individuals and families to live free from domestic violence. Grace smith house provides a comprehensive array of client centered, trauma informed services to victims of domestic violence in dutchess county, new york. Services include a 24/7/365 domestic violence crisis hotline; 2 emergency shelters for victims of domestic violence totaling 30 beds; 15 transitional housing apartments, individual and group counseling; legal advocacy; family system advocacy, housing advocacy, court accompaniment; embedded domestic violence specialist liaisons at child protect services and center for child abuse prevention; children's services & programming, and our prevention and education program for teen dating violence awareness and prevention. In 2015 grace smith house answered 1,866 hotline calls; assisted with the filing of 1,331 orders of protections in family court; sheltered 105 adults and 87 children; housed 17 families in transitional housing; provided advocacy for 274 adults in non-residential programs; conducted 168 adult support group and 100 children's groups; and reached over 7,500 student with teen dating violence prevention. Over 400 requests for shelter were turned away due to capacity issues. Services are free and confidential. Program services are provided to all victims of domestic violence regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, gender, religion, age, or sexual orientation.”

“The mission of grace smith house, inc. Is to enable individuals and families to live free from domestic violence through: -providing shelter and apartments, advocacy, counselling and education -raising the consciousness of the community regarding the extent, type and seriousness of domestic violence -initiating and taking positions on public policies in order to provide options which empower victims of domestic violence”

“Loss on disposal of asset -438. Bad debt recovery 6,207.”

“The organization has an audit and finance committee that assumes responsibility for oversight of the audit of its financial statements and selection of an independent accountant. This process did not change from the prior year.”