Dorothy Day House Berkeley

What Dorothy Day House Berkeley does

Dorothy Day House Berkeley is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 94-3158511) founded in 1992 that provides shelter, meals, and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness in Berkeley, California. Operating 365 days a year on a volunteer and donor-driven model, the organization runs a portfolio of programs anchored by a main traditional shelter at the Veterans Memorial Building on Center Street (50+ full-time residents), two hotel-style transitional housing sites — Beyond the Horizon at The Berkeley Inn and Horizon Community Village at The Capri Motel (25+ residents each) — a seasonal Berkeley Winter Shelter in Emeryville (November through April, 25 beds), and an inclement weather walk-up shelter (capacity 40). Its service line also includes a community daytime drop-in center at 1931 Center Street offering meals, showers, laundry, free clothing, lockers, mail services, internet access, housing navigation, DMV/ID assistance, workforce training, and medical/addiction referrals, alongside weekly encampment outreach and a retail thrift shop, Dorothy's Closet, developed in partnership with Rebuilding Together.

The organization has no proprietary technology stack; its operational model is human-intensive rather than technology-driven, relying on 35 full-time staff, 500+ active volunteers, and a network of 50+ community partners. Core technology inputs are limited to standard nonprofit tooling such as a Squarespace-hosted website, a Network for Good donation portal, and Berkeley Community Media-produced documentary coverage.

Dorothy Day House Berkeley funds its operations through a diversified mix of charitable contributions (monetary donations, stock and estate gifts), foundation and government grants (City of Berkeley, County of Alameda, Alameda County Community Food Bank, Genentech), in-kind goods donations (clothing, hygiene items, socks via Bombas), and retail thrift shop revenue from Dorothy's Closet. All services to clients are delivered free of charge; pricing is not a variable in the go-to-market. Leadership consists of Executive Director Robbi Montoya, supported by Program Director Roshone Atkins, Operations Director Angelina Roman, Finance & HR Director John Gaona, and a volunteer board chaired by President Dan Rademacher. Geographic scope is restricted to Berkeley and adjacent Alameda County, with no reported expansion plans outside this footprint.

Name

Dorothy Day House Berkeley

Legal name

Dorothy Day House

Website

https://dorothydayhouseberkeley.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dorothy Day House Berkeley is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing shelter, meals, transitional housing, and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness in Berkeley, California, operating 365 days a year across multiple program sites with 35 staff and 500+ volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Homeless Shelter Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Temporary Shelters (624221), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

Keywords

• Homeless shelter services
• Emergency shelter programs
• Transitional housing services
• Drop-in center services
• Workforce development training

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization is funded primarily through monetary donations from individuals, grantors, and foundations. They accept online donations, checks by mail, stock donations, and estate planning contributions.
2. Goods Donations: The organization accepts clothing, hygiene items, and supplies which are distributed directly to unhoused community members. Goods donations are tax-deductible.
3. Dorothy's Closet Thrift Shop: Dorothy's Closet is a retail thrift shop developed in partnership with Rebuilding Together. Every purchase helps fund programs providing free clothing, social services, job training, and employment support for people experiencing homelessness in Berkeley.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dorothy Day House Berkeley operates a 365-day-per-year continuum of free homeless services for people experiencing homelessness in Berkeley, California. Core offerings include a traditional shared shelter (50+ residents), two hotel-style transitional housing programs (25+ residents each), a seasonal winter shelter, an inclement-weather walk-up shelter, a community daytime drop-in center (meals, showers, laundry, lockers, mail, ID/DMV assistance, housing navigation, workforce training), and weekly encampment outreach. Programs are funded through donations, grants, and the Dorothy's Closet thrift shop.

Product overview

Dorothy Day House Berkeley operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit social services organization rather than a commercial product company. Its service portfolio is organized around homeless shelter and support programs: traditional shared shelter at Center Street, two hotel-style transitional shelters (Beyond the Horizon on San Pablo Avenue and Horizon Community Village on University Avenue), seasonal winter and inclement weather shelters, a community daytime drop-in center, encampment outreach, and a thrift retail shop called Dorothy's Closet developed in partnership with Rebuilding Together. Together these programs provide shelter, meals, clothing, health services, housing navigation, and workforce development to unhoused individuals in Berkeley.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Main Shelter on Center Street
• Beyond the Horizon @ The Berkeley Inn
• Horizon Community Village @ The Capri Motel
• Berkeley Winter Shelter
• Inclement Weather Shelter
• Community Daytime Drop-In Center
• Encampment Outreach
• Dorothy's Closet Thrift Shop

Quantifiable outcome

• 85+ people housed annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner providing funding and support for homeless services. City of Berkeley is a key municipal partner in addressing local homelessness.
• County of AlamedacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty government partner supporting regional homeless services and funding programs.
• Rebuilding TogethercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Dorothy's Closet thrift shop. Rebuilding Together developed the retail thrift shop that benefits Berkeley's homeless community. Revenue from sales supports free clothing, social services, job training, and employment programs.
• UC BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner providing cooperation and support. In 1992, Dorothy Day House started serving breakfast daily in People's Park with UC Berkeley's cooperation.
• Alameda County Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood bank partner supporting meal programs. One of the grantors providing resources for daily meal preparation.
• Christ Church BerkeleyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSaturday partnership serving coffee and donuts to encampment neighbors as part of grassroots outreach efforts.
• Alameda County Community Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor food bank partner providing resources for meal programs serving unhoused community members.
• BombasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSock and clothing donation partner supporting unhoused individuals with essential items.
• Women's Day Drop-IncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner agency providing services and referrals for women experiencing homelessness.
• Homeless Action CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal services partner helping homeless individuals with housing rights and advocacy.
• Berkeley Mental HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health services partner providing evaluations and support for shelter residents.
• Alameda County Health Care for the HomelesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner providing medical services and referrals for homeless individuals.
• Downtown Streets TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development partner providing job training and employment opportunities.
• Lifelong Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner providing medical services and referrals.
• Bay Area Community ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner providing support services for homeless individuals.
• Building Opportunity for Self-SufficiencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner agency helping homeless individuals achieve self-sufficiency.

Scale indicators19 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Abode Services: Fremont-based nonprofit providing housing and supportive services across Alameda County for people experiencing homelessness. Comparable scope of shelter and housing programs with strong county-government partnerships and similar housing-outcomes focus; covers broader Alameda County geography than Dorothy Day House.
• Glide Foundation: San Francisco-based nonprofit providing meals, shelter, housing, and comprehensive services to people experiencing homelessness and poverty. Closest direct comparable in terms of integrated service model (meals, shelter, drop-in, housing navigation) and donor-driven 501(c)(3) structure serving a single Bay Area city.
• Bay Area Community Services: Oakland-based nonprofit providing housing, behavioral health, and supportive services across Alameda County. Named partner organization with overlapping shelter/housing services and the same regional funding/government relationships.
• Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS): Berkeley and Alameda County nonprofit providing shelter, housing, and self-sufficiency programs for people experiencing homelessness. Direct local peer and named partner organization; competing for overlapping Berkeley/Alameda County funding and serving same population.
• St. Anthony Foundation: San Francisco nonprofit operating a dining room, free clothing program, shelter, and social services for people experiencing homelessness. Directly comparable comprehensive service model with meals, clothing, and shelter programs funded by donations and a social enterprise (St. Anthony's Vintage Shoppes thrift stores).
• Hamilton Families: San Francisco nonprofit providing shelter, transitional housing, and permanent housing programs for families experiencing homelessness. Comparable shelter-to-housing pipeline model with hotel/motel-based programs and an emphasis on housing outcomes (similar85+/year placed into housing).
• Larkin Street Youth Services: San Francisco nonprofit providing shelter, housing, education, and employment services for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. Comparable multi-program shelter-to-housing model with drop-in services and workforce development components.
• Berkeley Food and Housing Project: Berkeley-based nonprofit operating a food pantry, shelter, and housing programs in the same city as Dorothy Day House. Direct local peer with overlapping service population and competing for the same donor and municipal funding base in Berkeley.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Charities of the East Bay: Regional faith-based nonprofit providing housing, shelter, immigration, and social services across the East Bay. Broader portfolio organization that overlaps on homeless services but extends into many other service lines and geographies.
• St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco: Long-established Bay Area nonprofit operating a network of dining rooms, shelters, transitional housing, and thrift stores. Comparable donor- and thrift-funded comprehensive service model, but at a larger scale across multiple Bay Area geographies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=h7oNp5UKWtM
• Facebookfacebook.com/dorothydayhouseberkeley
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dorothy-day-house-berkeley

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dorothy Day House Berkeley