Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Jun 2007.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
95 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
25 people listed on the 990; $1.7M paid to officers and key staff.
Amelia Nickerson’s $393K as CEO is at the 85th percentile of top reported officer pay among 414 $10–100M employment nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amelia Nickerson | $393,173 | $385,710 | $400,000 | $350,000 | $273,603 | $234,170 |
| Reggie Harmon | — | $384,290 | $350,000 | $43,269 | — | — |
| Matt Miller | $344,739 | $343,394 | $350,000 | $354,637 | $254,135 | $215,877 |
| Kellie Brownlow | $189,168 | $217,423 | $173,835 | $164,500 | $105,000 | — |
| Trevor Turner | $196,668 | $215,359 | $170,000 | — | — | — |
| Abraham Heller | — | $201,195 | — | — | — | — |
| Jason Zerbe | — | — | — | $190,159 | $160,681 | $147,079 |
| Sheneva Harris | — | $181,420 | — | $155,629 | $134,479 | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
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Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Provides job training and employment opportunities to help homeless, formerly incarcerated, and veteran individuals achieve financial stability.
Questions for First Step Staffing INC
Your first name shows with your question. First Step Staffing INC answers here, for everyone.
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First Step Staffing, an Alternative Staffing Organization, is designed to eliminate barriers to employment. First Step believes in providing an economic opportunity for everyone. To do so, First Step contracts with businesses and directly employs men and women who have experienced homelessness, veterans, and returning citizens to fill…
First Step Disability Services helps men and women with severe disabilities access Social Security Disability Income (SSI) and Medicaid. Prior to First Step Disability Services, only 19 percent of homeless people who applied for disability are approved.
First Step operates a housing assistance program in Atlanta, GA and Philadelphia, PA. The program provides direct housing assistance to those facing eviction and/or homeless during their employment with FSS. Housing payments vary and do not extend past 6 months.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2025 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY25 | End FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $2.3M | $3.5M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $93K | $70K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $21.9M | $21.5M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $21.8M | $24.5M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $58K | −$3.1M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $198K | $198K | ||
| Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4 | $0 | $0 | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $890K | $89K | $469K | $333K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $42.8M | $42.2M | $387K | $208K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $15K | $13K | $903 | $905 |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $6.1M | $5.4M | $331K | $313K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $658K | $553K | $42K | $62K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $109K | $80K | $29K | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $103K | $103K | ||
| Professional fundraising feesLn 11e | $14K | $14K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $64K | $50K | $15K | $0 |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $15K | $15K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $139K | $137K | $2K | $764 |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $341K | $268K | $60K | $12K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $473K | $421K | $39K | $13K |
| TravelLn 17 | $202K | $177K | $12K | $12K |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $115K | $101K | $7K | $7K |
| InterestLn 20 | $723K | $723K | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $942K | $941K | $890 | $178 |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $912K | $912K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $293K | $215K | $70K | $8K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $1.4M | $1.3M | $3K | $38K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $56.4M | $53.9M | $1.6M | $1.0M |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest Viewing | $53.3M | $56.4M | −$3.1M | −$3.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $63.4M | $72.5M | −$9.1M | $58K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $63.9M | $63.2M | $703K | $9.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $61.6M | $59.3M | $2.3M | $8.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $68.6M | $66.8M | $1.9M | $6.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $59.1M | $59.5M | −$433K | $4.3M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $53,343,075 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 17 of 17 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $53,343,075 across 8 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $56,444,943 across 22 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $21,468,967 assets, 17 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets −$3,065,485 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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