Grace Place

What Grace Place does

Grace Place is a registered Canadian charitable organization (operating as Grace Ministries of Thunder Bay) located at 235 Simpson Street in Thunder Bay's downtown south core. Founded in 2008 by Pastors Gary and Melody Macsemchuk, the organization functions as a community hub serving homeless, vulnerably housed, and marginalized populations through free direct services rather than a technology or product offering. Its service portfolio includes a daily community meal program (1,000+ meals weekly, 50,000+ annually, 600,000+ cumulative since 2008), a Free Store distributing donated clothing and household items, free hair services, weekly Street Nursing clinics, and a 25-bed seasonal Out of the Cold emergency overnight shelter that operates October through April and has logged 13,997 total stays since 2017. Grace Place also supports a Transition to Independent Living program.

Operationally, Grace Place runs on a lean paid staff of 1–10 supported by an active volunteer base of 70–80 people, with cumulative volunteer hours exceeding 300,000 since inception. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is entirely in-person at a single owned facility (purchased in 2015). Revenue is not publicly disclosed and is derived from individual donations, in-kind contributions, corporate donations (e.g., Walmart), and grants — including Ontario Trillium Foundation Seed and Grow Grants that seeded the Out of the Cold program, plus ongoing partial funding from TBDSSAB and Service Canada channeled via the Lakehead Social Planning Council. Services are provided free of charge to clients, and outreach is conducted through community events, social media (Facebook), earned media, and word-of-mouth.

The organization's strategic posture is that of a low-barrier, harm-reduction, trauma-informed provider operating in close coordination with a dense network of community partners including Shelter House, Salvation Army, Nor-West Community Health Care Center, the John Howard Society, and others. Its client base skews heavily Indigenous (75% of Out of the Cold clients), with material shares reporting long-term homelessness (8.2% over 10 years) and no income (19%), positioning Grace Place as a critical safety-net provider in Thunder Bay's social services system.

Name

Grace Place

Legal name

Grace Ministries of Thunder Bay

Website

https://graceplacethunderbay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Grace Place is a Thunder Bay-based registered charity (Grace Ministries of Thunder Bay) that delivers free meals, clothing, nursing, and seasonal emergency overnight shelter to homeless and vulnerable residents at a single downtown facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Thunder Bay

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Monetary and in-kind donations from individuals, including clothing, food, small household items, and personal necessities.
2. Corporate and Organizational Donations: Donations from organizations such as Walmart boost and other local businesses.
3. Government Funding: Funded in part by TBDSSAB and Service Canada through funding agents L.S.P.C. Ontario Trillium Foundation provided Seed Grant and Grow Grant for Out of the Cold program.
4. In-Kind Donations: Accepts donations of food, clothing, small household appliances, and personal necessities. Donations are tax deductible.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Grace Place is a community hub offering free meals, clothing, hair services, street nursing, drop-in space, and an emergency overnight shelter to homeless and vulnerable residents of Thunder Bay. Operating from a single facility at 235 Simpson Street since 2008, the organization has served more than 600,000 meals and over 13,997 emergency shelter stays through its Out of the Cold program, which runs 25 beds from October to April each year.

Product overview

Grace Place is a non-profit community organization offering a suite of social services to Thunder Bay's vulnerable and homeless populations. The organization operates from a single location at 235 Simpson Street and provides core services including the Community Meal program (serving over 50,000 meals annually), a Free Store for clothing distribution, Hair Services for free haircuts, Street Nursing for health services, the Out of the Cold emergency shelter program (October-April), and a Drop-In Center. These services work together to address food insecurity, homelessness, clothing needs, personal hygiene, and healthcare access for those in need.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Meal Program Free daily community meal served Monday through Friday 1:00–4:00 PM at 235 Simpson Street, providing food to those experiencing food insecurity. Open to the community and serving over 50,000 meals annually.
• Free Store Free distribution of donated clothing and small household items to people on fixed incomes and homeless populations. Open Monday–Friday 10:00 AM–4:00 PM at 235 Simpson Street.
• Hair Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 600,000+ total meals served since 2008
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Shelter HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization working with Grace Place to support homeless individuals in Thunder Bay.
• Salvation ArmycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization collaborating with Grace Place on social service programs.
• Nor-West Community Health Care CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing community health services. Their outreach workers meet with vulnerable clients during Grace Place closing hours.
• Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board (TBDSSAB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for Out of the Cold program. Provides outreach worker who connects clients to housing supports weekly at Grace Place Drop-In.
• Urban AbbeyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization.
• Transformation ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization.
• Northwind Family MinistriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization.
• G.A.P.P.S. program at St. Joseph's Health CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health and addictions outreach program partner.
• John Howard SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing support for those in need during times of tragedy, incarceration, or hospitalization.
• Regional Food Distribution Association (RFDA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood bank network partner helping supply food for community meals.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• NorWest Community Health Centres: NorWest Community Health Centres delivers primary care, harm reduction, and outreach to vulnerable populations in Thunder Bay. Grace Place hosts outreach activity and both organizations address overlapping health and social needs, making it an adjacent service and ecosystem peer.
• Regional Food Distribution Association: Regional Food Distribution Association helps supply food to community programs and food banks across Northwestern Ontario, including Grace Place. It is an ecosystem comparator because it supports the food supply chain underlying Grace Place's large meal operation.

Regional players

• Canadian Mental Health Association Thunder Bay: CMHA Thunder Bay provides community mental-health and addictions services in the same city. It is a regional peer because a material share of Grace Place's clients have mental-health or addiction needs and may use both organizations.
• Calgary Drop-In Centre: Calgary Drop-In Centre operates shelter, basic-needs, health, and housing programs for people experiencing homelessness. Its integrated continuum of free services closely parallels Grace Place's community-hub model.
• The Ottawa Mission: The Ottawa Mission provides emergency shelter, meals, health services, and housing support free of charge to people experiencing homelessness. It is a highly comparable operating model in a different regional market.
• John Howard Society of Ontario: John Howard Society of Ontario, including its Thunder Bay operation, provides community reintegration, housing, employment, and practical support to people involved with the justice system. Its Thunder Bay presence and overlap in housing and vulnerable-population support make it a relevant regional comparator.
• Union Gospel Mission: Union Gospel Mission provides shelter, meals, addiction recovery, and housing support to marginalized populations. It is a faith-informed regional peer with a service mix similar to Grace Place's shelter, meals, and transition support.

Broad incumbents

• Salvation Army Canada: Salvation Army Canada operates shelters, food programs, addiction services, and housing support across the country. Its broad service portfolio substantially overlaps Grace Place's emergency shelter and basic-needs offering.
• St. Joseph's Care Group: St. Joseph's Care Group is a Thunder Bay health and social-services organization with mental-health, addictions, community, and supportive-care programs. It is a broad incumbent comparator for Grace Place's health-access and vulnerable-population services.

Direct peers

• Shelter House Thunder Bay: Shelter House provides emergency shelter, meals, and support services to homeless and vulnerably housed people in Thunder Bay. It is the closest local peer because it serves the same population with a closely aligned low-barrier service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GracePlaceTB

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Grace Place