Christ House simplifies finances with BILL to keep compassion at the center

When patients are discharged from the hospital, they're generally sent home to recover. But what if you don't have a home? 

As one of the nation's first medical respite facilities, Christ House has filled this gap for over 40 years, providing 24/7 medical respite care for unhoused men in Washington, D.C. Today, the organization's residential facility serves about 30 men at a time, who stay an average of 40 days.

"Our patients come from all over the world but many are from here in the District, born and raised," says Brandon Desiderio, in the Accounting office at Christ House. "The majority have three or more acute medical needs they're dealing with—diabetes, heart issues, recovering from surgeries. We provide that critical bridge between the hospital and the street."

The organization's impact extends far beyond medical care. With a Paris-trained chef creating daily menus, barbers providing free haircuts, Franciscan friars performing concerts, and case managers helping patients secure benefits and housing, Christ House treats each person with profound dignity. 

But providing comprehensive care on a nonprofit budget requires exceptional efficiency. That's why Christ House turned to BILL for its financial operations.

Challenge: Managing complex operations with lean administrative staff 

When CFO Angela Davis joined Christ House, the organization was drowning in paper. All internal approvals, receiving, and invoicing—everything required physical documents and manual processing. 

"At the recommendation of our board, we have two approvers on every expense," explains Desiderio. "Every single expense. We're trying to shift to a higher threshold for that level of internal control, but imagine trying to handle that manually. The admin time to manage that process on paper was just untenable."

For special events, the need for efficiency becomes even more urgent. Christ House's annual gala requires coordinating with multiple vendors while managing last-minute event purchases that inevitably arise.

"There are decorations, flowers, catering—plus all kinds of last-minute things that can come up. And we are a resourceful and hands-on organization,” Desiderio shares. "We pitched in to do our our own floral arrangements, and grabbed great deals on votives for decor where we can.”

Solution: BILL Accounts Payable and Spend & Expense

Christ House uses both BILL Accounts Payable and Spend & Expense to automate the nonprofit's financial operations. The impact has been transformative across the organization.

"I can see the year-over-year fluctuations in our Cash Flow Forecasting dashboard in BILL," Desiderio reports. "Our time to payment has decreased by about two business weeks. That alone is significant because some of our vendors have fees for any late payments."

The virtual card payment option has proven particularly valuable. "A lot of our vendors—across a really different range than I would have expected—prefer card payments," Desiderio says. "And using virtual cards with BILL minimizes our exposure in case of potential theft. We have tight controls and basically no fraud because of BILL. We have a shredding service for sensitive information, but with virtual card payments, there's no check to shred—and no e-payment fee."

BILL Spend & Expense has revolutionized expense management for Christ House, particularly for the organization's Paris-trained chef, Kendra-Nicole Stephens.

"Our chef sources ingredients from the same vendors that Michelin-rated restaurants in the area use," explains Desiderio. "But she's also driving to Trader Joe's or other local markets on the fly. With BILL, it's easy for her to do that and upload the receipts herself while creating her boutique menu for us every day."

Fostering community and saving time

Beyond the financial benefits, BILL has given the Christ House team more time to focus on its core mission. With an average patient stay of 40 days, the organization places a strong emphasis on building a supportive community. Volunteers, like the year-long staff members who receive a BILL Divvy card* with a monthly allotment, are able to easily purchase supplies for patient activities, such as a football watch party or an impromptu barbershop event.

"We intentionally make time to eat lunch with the residents and have a meal with them," Desiderio shared. "We like to foster that sense of community. I wouldn't be able to get that time without BILL."

The ability to easily manage expenses and approvals has a direct impact on the organization's mission. "We had this really dynamic group of barbers come in and provide haircuts for free for our patients," said Zofia Joynt, Communications Coordinator at Christ House. "They brought donuts and coffee, and it was so good." These small moments of connection are at the heart of Christ House's work, and BILL helps ensure that the staff has the bandwidth to prioritize them.

“BILL cut payment time by two weeks and centralized invoices, approvals, and spend—freeing us to focus on our mission of care.”

What’s next for Christ House

As the organization looks to the future, it remains committed to its mission of providing compassionate care. A major fundraising campaign is currently underway to renovate the front courtyard and lobby, creating a more welcoming and accessible space for patients and the community. 

By leveraging technology like BILL, Christ House can continue to be a pioneer in medical respite and a beacon of hope for those in need.

"At Christ House, I'm proud of the way we see each individual person and their dignity and inherent worth," says Desiderio. "Having efficient systems like BILL helps us focus on what matters most."

*The BILL Divvy Card may be issued by one of Divvy Pay, LLC's bank partners. The BILL Divvy Card is not a deposit product.