Centrepoint

What Centrepoint does

Centrepoint is the UK's leading youth homelessness charity, operating as a registered charity (No. 292411) and Housing Association (No. H1869) under the legal entity Centrepoint Soho, a company limited by guarantee headquartered at The Rowe, Whitechapel High Street, London. Founded in 1969 and employing between 251 and 500 staff, it delivers a portfolio of services for 16-25 year-olds experiencing or at risk of homelessness across 60 service locations in London, Yorkshire, Manchester and North East England, supporting more than 15,000 young people annually. The service mix spans supported housing, the Independent Living Programme (rent capped at one-third of salary), the 24/7 Centrepoint Helpline, the Housing First Team, Floating Support, psychotherapeutic support, a Young Parents service and a Rent Deposit Guarantee Scheme, supplemented by the Centrepoint Works employment programme, Centrepoint Bursary (funding ID, GCSEs and study materials), and education/training pathways. A Lived Experience Advisory Board of young people with direct experience of homelessness informs programme design.

The organisation's business model is diversified across six revenue streams: individual donations (one-off and monthly), corporate partnerships (Charity of Year, cause-related marketing, sponsorship, payroll giving), the Bright Futures Draw weekly lottery (entries from £1, prizes to £25,000), philanthropic major gifts and bequests, statutory funding from local authorities and the Department for Levelling-up, Housing and Communities, and fundraising events including the flagship Sleep Out, gala dinners, challenge events and community fundraising. Gifts of £5,000+ are stewarded by a dedicated Philanthropy team, with example impact tiers ranging from £20 for a counselling session to £50,000 funding a year of the employment programme. Major corporate partners include Nationwide (Fairer Futures Programme, headline sponsor of Sleep Out), Card Factory Foundation (The Bright Future Initiative targeting 31,000+ young people), Coventry Building Society, The Co-operative Bank (£2m+ cumulative), ASOS (£2m+ cumulative), Selfridges (£1m+ milestone), Barratt London and Rightmove.

Product and technology infrastructure is modest: a Young Person's Portal serves as the primary digital self-service touchpoint for service users, alongside a charity website supporting donations, lottery entry and information. The most significant recent product development is Jordan's Home — a modular Single Living Accommodation housing model co-developed with Portakabin and IKEA UK, targeting at least 300 transitional homes with rent capped at one-third of income, showcased at UKREiiF in Leeds in May 2026. The charity publishes the Youth Homelessness Databank (reporting ~124,000 young people faced homelessness in 2024-25) as a policy and research asset, and operates a wholly-owned trading subsidiary, CP Trading Limited, for trading activities. Symon Elliott serves as Chair; HRH The Prince of Wales has been Patron for 20 years.

Name

Centrepoint

Legal name

Centrepoint Soho

Website

https://centrepoint.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Centrepoint is the UK's leading youth homelessness charity, delivering supported housing, helpline, employment and education services to 15,000+ 16-25 year-olds annually across 60 locations in London, Yorkshire, Manchester and North East England, funded by donations, corporate partnerships, statutory grants and a weekly lottery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Homelessness Support Services

NAICS

Temporary Shelters (624221), Child and Youth Services (62411), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC), Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

Keywords

• Youth homelessness support
• Supported housing services
• Charity helpline services
• Independent living programme
• Education and employment support

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Charitable donations from individuals to support homeless young people, including one-off and monthly donations
2. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with companies including Charity of the Year programmes, cause related marketing, event sponsorship, and payroll giving
3. Lottery (Bright Futures Draw): Weekly lottery programme with prizes up to £25,000, entries from £1 per week
4. Philanthropic Gifts: Major gifts from high-net-worth individuals, multi-year pledges, and bequests
5. Statutory Funding: Funding from government and regulatory bodies including local authorities and Department for Levelling-up, Housing and Communities
6. Fundraising Events: Events including Sleep Out, Gala events, Awards ceremonies, challenge events, and community fundraising

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Centrepoint provides accommodation, support, and personal-development services to homeless and at-risk young people aged 16-25 in the UK. Its offer includes emergency and supported housing across 60 services, a 24/7 helpline, an Independent Living Programme with rent capped at one-third of salary, education and employment support, mental health services, and a Bursary for qualifications-related costs.

Product overview

Centrepoint is the UK's leading youth homelessness charity operating across 60 services in London, Yorkshire, Manchester, and the North East of England. The organisation offers a comprehensive portfolio of services for young people aged 16-25 including emergency accommodation through the Centrepoint Helpline, supported housing, and the Independent Living Programme with rent capped at one-third of salary. Key support services include Centrepoint Works (employment assistance), the Centrepoint Bursary (financial support for education), psychotherapeutic support, and the Floating Support Team for independent living. Fundraising initiatives include the flagship Sleep Out event, the Bright Futures Draw lottery, and Centrepoint Awards. The portfolio integrates housing, education, employment, and mental health support to help young people achieve independence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sleep Out: Centrepoint's flagship fundraiser event where participants sleep out to raise funds and awareness for youth homelessness.
• Bright Futures Draw
• Centrepoint Works
• Centrepoint Bursary
• Independent Living Programme
• Centrepoint Helpline

Quantifiable outcome

• 15,000+ young people supported annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and supporting.

• Nationwide Building SocietyflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched biggest corporate partnership to date with Nationwide, part of their Fairer Futures Programme - a three year social impact programme supporting those who have been dealt an unfair hand across generations. Nationwide is also headline sponsor of Sleep Out.
• Coventry Building SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership launched April 2023 with shared vision to end youth homelessness nationally and locally. Both organisations believe every young person should have a place they can call home.
• The Co-operative BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting since 2017, have celebrated passing £2 million raised through customer and staff fundraising initiatives. Impact in Manchester and nationwide, including re-opening of Oldham Street hub.
• Card Factory FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst official charity partner launching The Bright Future Initiative - a transformative partnership to empower over 31,000 homeless young people to heal, grow, and take steps toward a brighter future.
• Barratt LondoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHeadline sponsors of Corporate Sleep Out Event, raised over £250,000 with significant staff engagement throughout the year.
• ASOScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing supporters raising over £2 million. ASOS Foundation has supported mental health programmes in Barnsley and London, The Centrepoint Helpline, Young Person's Portal, and young people have participated in photo shoots at ASOS HQ.
• SelfridgescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership surpassed £1 million milestone. Staff and customers support through volunteering, Sleep Out, customer fundraising initiatives including Donate As You Dine and Selfridges Unlocked.
• RightmovesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual donation to Independent Living Programme to help young people access affordable housing. Provides housing market data supporting Centrepoint's policy and research campaigns.
• Sullivan and StanleysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCommitted supporters through hiking, running challenges and hosting bespoke Centrepoint events. Active in movement to end youth homelessness by 2037.
• PortakabincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to launch Jordan's Home - a new Single Living Accommodation modular housing model designed as transitional stepping stone homes for young people experiencing homelessness. Targeting at least 300 homes capped at one-third of resident's income.
• IKEA UKsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProviding interior design services for Jordan's Home modular housing project developed with Portakabin and Centrepoint.
• Youth Homelessness Charity (Centrepoint)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Portakabin and IKEA UK to create transitional modular housing for young people. Centrepoint's Youth Homelessness Databank informs the programme design targeting almost 124,000 young people who faced homelessness in 2024-25.
• Peabody TrustsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLed Skills for Food catering and hospitality training initiative for west London residents ahead of 2012 Olympics, in partnership with Centrepoint and others.
• City GatewaysupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner in Skills for Food scheme providing training in cooking and hospitality for west London residents.
• Princes TrustsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner in Skills for Food scheme providing sports coaching, cooking and building training for west London residents.
• Sports Coaches UKsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner in Skills for Food scheme delivering sports coaching training.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Depaul UK: Charity supporting young people experiencing homelessness and disadvantage through accommodation, education and employment services. Highly comparable mission and operating model to Centrepoint, especially in working with 16-25 year olds facing housing crisis.
• The Prince's Trust: UK charity supporting disadvantaged young people (11-30) into education, training and employment. Strongly comparable on target demographic and outcomes focus (employment and skills), and shares HRH The Prince of Wales as Patron — making it a natural partnership and brand competitor.
• Crisis UK: National homelessness charity with deep expertise in supporting people out of homelessness via housing, education, training and employment programmes. Closely aligned with Centrepoint's holistic model and target population, particularly through shared focus on single adults experiencing homelessness.
• St Mungo's: UK charity providing accommodation, recovery and prevention services for people experiencing homelessness. Comparable as a frontline supported-housing operator, though focused on rough sleepers and adults broadly rather than specifically youth.

Others

• Centre for Mental Health: UK mental health policy and research charity. Comparable as a research- and advocacy-driven organisation targeting vulnerable populations; reflects similar evidence-based, policy-influencing positioning that Centrepoint employs in its Youth Homelessness Databank and policy campaigns.
• Home-Start UK: UK family support charity helping parents with young children through volunteer-led home visiting. Adjacent rather than directly competing, but both organisations share a model of intensive casework and rely on a similarly diverse mix of corporate partnerships and statutory funding.
• Together for Short Lives: UK children's palliative care charity that, like Centrepoint, occupies a niche, high-trust brand position around children/young people in distress and depends heavily on corporate partnerships, lottery and individual donations. Useful comparator for charity-sector fundraising economics even if the mission is different.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA England & Wales: Largest youth-focused charity in England and Wales, providing supported housing including for young people. Directly comparable in serving the 16-25 youth accommodation market, but operates a federated model across multiple local YMCAs with a broader remit including health and family services.
• Barnardo's: One of the UK's largest children's charities, with services spanning foster care, leaving care support, and services for disadvantaged young people. Comparable on care leaver and youth support work, though its scope is significantly broader and includes advocacy and direct service delivery.
• Shelter: UK's largest housing and homelessness charity. Directly comparable as a national housing-focused charity serving people in housing crisis, though Shelter's scope spans all ages and its work is more policy-driven; both compete for the same corporate partnership and individual donor pools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/centrepointuk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CentrepointUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/centrepoint.charity
• Instagraminstagram.com/centrepointuk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Centrepoint