Leeds Irish Health & Homes

What Leeds Irish Health & Homes does

Leeds Irish Health & Homes (LIHH) is a registered charitable society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, founded on 16 January 1996 and headquartered at the Broom Hill Centre, Leeds. It delivers an integrated bundle of community services for the Irish diaspora and wider Leeds population, including supported housing (53 tenancies, including 10 self-contained flats at Davitt House), welfare advice and benefits navigation, a befriending service, the National Lottery-funded Cara ('friend') programme, social prescribing via the Linking Leeds consortium, Live Well Leeds arts-based mental health delivery, digital inclusion support, and an extensive social and cultural programme (Lunch Clubs, men's and women's groups, Irish-language classes, intergenerational projects, St Patrick's Day celebrations, Tea Dances). It also hosts the Fr\u00e9a Renewing Roots service, advising former residents of Ireland's Mother and Baby institutions on accessing government payments and tracing records. Ant Hanlon has led the organisation as CEO for 30 years and announced his retirement effective end-2026; the Board of Trustees, chaired by Rachael Loftus MBE, has engaged Peridot Partners to recruit a successor.

The operating model is community-led rather than technology-led: services are delivered by a small staff team (11\u201350 headcount) supported by volunteers at the charity's offices, GP practices across Leeds, community venues, and tenants' homes. Distribution combines direct self-referral (phone/email), GP referral through the Linking Leeds social prescribing pipeline, and word-of-mouth within the Irish community. In 2025 the charity purchased its first permanent community hub in Harehills and is fundraising for renovation; brand recognition is reinforced by the 2025 Leeds St Patrick's Day Parade Best Float award.

LIHH is funded through a mix of charitable donations, individual and corporate fundraising (notably supporter John Hourigan of Allied Plant, who has raised over \u00a3150,000 since 2018 through dinner dances and corporate gifts), National Lottery Community Fund grants (\u00a3349,000 awarded for Cara), and NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board commissioning through Linking Leeds and Live Well Leeds. A small share of revenue comes from subsidised service fees (Lunch Clubs, supported housing tenancy arrangements). The organisation has no parent company, no institutional equity, and no funding rounds; governance is via a Board of Trustees. There is no proprietary technology stack, AI/ML capability, mobile app, or paid digital product \u2014 the technology estate is limited to a Squarespace website and PayPal payment processing.

Name

Leeds Irish Health & Homes

Legal name

Leeds Irish Health & Homes

Website

https://lihh.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Leeds Irish Health & Homes is a Leeds-based charitable society, founded 1996, providing supported housing, welfare advice, befriending, wellbeing, and cultural services to the Irish community and wider Leeds residents, funded by grants, donations, and NHS commissioning.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health and Social Support Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Community health charity
• Supported housing services
• Welfare advice services
• Social prescribing programmes
• Befriending services

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable donations from individuals, corporate supporters, and community fundraising events including dinner dances, céilís, and individual fundraising efforts.
2. NHS and Government Funding: Funding from NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board for Linking Leeds social prescribing partnership, and other public sector commissioning.
3. National Lottery Funding: Cara programme is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund (£349,000 awarded).
4. Subsidised Service Fees: Some services offered at subsidised cost, such as Lunch Clubs providing nutritious meals at reduced prices.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Leeds Irish Health & Homes is a registered charitable society that delivers supported housing, welfare advice, befriending, wellbeing and social/cultural programmes for the Irish community and wider Leeds residents. Services are delivered directly through staff and volunteers at community venues, GP practices and the charity's Harehills premises, supported by charitable donations, public-sector commissioning and grant funding.

Product overview

Leeds Irish Health & Homes is a charitable organization offering a portfolio of community support services for the Irish and wider Leeds community. The organization operates as a single integrated service model rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core services include Supported Housing (with Davitt House as a named accommodation property), Welfare services (Irish Community Support, Welfare Advice, Befriending, and the Fréa Renewing Roots partnership), Wellbeing services (Cara friendship programme, Linking Leeds Social Prescribing, Live Well Leeds, Gardening Group), Skills development (Digital Inclusion, Volunteering), and Social & Cultural programmes (Luncheon Clubs, Men's and Women's Groups, Irish language classes, Arts & Cultural Programme, Intergenerational Projects, South Leeds Group). Services are coordinated through a new hub in Harehills purchased in 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Supported Housing Service Supported housing service providing accommodation, regular contact and advice for vulnerable Irish community members, offering 53 tenancies including 10 self-contained furnished flats for older Irish people at Davitt House.
• Irish Community Support Service Community support service addressing the evolving needs of Irish community members, including older members facing health challenges or isolation, and younger generations navigating cultural identity.
• Welfare Advice Service Advice service helping community members understand support entitlements, with assistance applying for Irish pensions, blue badges, attendance allowance and other benefits.
• Befriending Service Service connecting community members with volunteer befrienders to foster connections and friendships, reducing isolation.
• Renewing Roots (Fréa Partnership) Partnership service offering free confidential advice on accessing the Irish government payment scheme and tracing birth records for former residents of Ireland's Mother and Baby and County Home institutions and their families.
• Cara Friendship Service Friendship programme offering coffee mornings, days out, meals and social activities to reduce isolation, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund (£349,000 award).
• Linking Leeds Social Prescribing Social prescribing service supporting community members to engage in activities and groups to improve physical and mental health through non-medical interventions, delivered through GP practice partnerships.
• Live Well Leeds Delivery Partnership Delivery partner service supporting people to manage and recover from mild to moderate mental health challenges through arts-based activities.
• Digital Inclusion Programme Digital skills programme varying from informal drop-ins to online safety training to one-to-one home support, helping community members feel more connected and in control of technology.
• Volunteering Programme Volunteer opportunities supporting regular and seasonal events, including the Graveside Project which maintains graves for those without family or friends able to do so.
• Luncheon Clubs Weekly lunch clubs providing social connection and nutritious meals at subsidised costs, serving as a cornerstone of the social service offering.
• Arts and Cultural Programme Extensive arts and cultural programme including weekly craft groups, theatre and music venue visits, exhibition outings, Tea Dance programme and annual cultural celebrations including St Patrick's Day.
• Irish Language Classes Weekly Gaeilge (Irish language) classes suitable for beginners or improvers, taught by a friendly experienced teacher at Harehills offices.
• Men's Groups Two men's groups: one for gentle walks with conversation, and the Fir (Men's) Group at Harehills offices for games, Irish newspapers, chat and digital skills.

Quantifiable outcome

• 53 tenancies supported including 10 self-contained furnished flats at Davitt House
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fréa PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProudly part of the Fréa partnership. Renewing Roots supports former residents of Ireland's Mother and Baby and County Home institutions. Natalie Hughes-Crean based at LIHH offers free confidential advice on accessing the Irish government payment scheme and tracing records.
• Linking Leeds PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCitywide social prescribing service connecting people to community services. Led by Inspire North with partners BARCA, Leeds Mind, Feel Good Factor, Better Leeds Communities, LIHH, Age UK, and Leeds City Council. Funded by NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.
• Live Well LeedscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIHH is a Live Well Leeds delivery partner, supporting people manage and/or recover from mild to moderate mental health challenges through arts-based activities.
• Irish Community Care ManchesterminorOthersSister charity that attended the Summer 2026 Tea Dance, sharing community connections across Irish organisations.
• PayPalminorOthersThird-party payment processor for online donations, handling secure online card transaction capture and processing.
• St Patrick's SchoolminorOthersIntergenerational projects connecting school children with elderly community members, including St Brigid's Day celebrations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Locality: UK-wide membership body supporting community-led organisations including small charities. Comparable in mission focus on community-led service delivery, social prescribing, and place-based support, though operating at network rather than direct-delivery scale.
• Federation of Irish Societies: UK-wide umbrella body supporting Irish community organisations including Leeds Irish Health & Homes and its sister charities. Comparable in mission focus on the Irish diaspora but operates as a network/co-ordinator rather than direct service provider.
• Inspire North: Lead partner in the Linking Leeds social prescribing consortium in which LIHH delivers. A larger Yorkshire health-and-wellbeing charity running multi-partner programmes funded by NHS West Yorkshire ICB — directly comparable funding model and commissioning environment.

Direct peers

• St Anne's Community Services: Leeds/Yorkshire-based charity providing supported housing, wellbeing, and community support to vulnerable adults including older people and those with mental health needs — closely comparable operating model to LIHH's housing-plus-welfare structure.
• Birmingham Irish Association: Regional Irish community organisation in the West Midlands delivering health, housing, cultural, and welfare services to Birmingham's Irish population — same beneficiary cohort and similar charity-sector service mix as LIHH.
• London Irish Centre: Long-established Irish community charity in London offering housing support, welfare advice, cultural programmes, and older-person services. Closely comparable mission and mixed revenue model of grants, donations, and commissioning.
• Irish Community Care Manchester: Sister-charity explicitly named in LIHH materials, providing parallel Irish community health, welfare, and cultural support across Greater Manchester. Operates an almost identical service mix (welfare advice, befriending, cultural programmes) for the same Irish diaspora beneficiary population, making it the most direct UK peer.
• Fréa: Partnership organisation explicitly partnered with LIHH to deliver the Renewing Roots service for former residents of Ireland's Mother and Baby institutions. Operates a near-identical beneficiary cohort and welfare-advice model across multiple UK sites.
• Age UK Leeds: Partner in the Linking Leeds social prescribing consortium alongside LIHH. Delivers comparable older-person wellbeing, advice, and community support services in the same Leeds geography, with overlapping beneficiary base in older Irish residents.

Regional players

• Forum Housing Association: Yorkshire-based housing provider operating supported and sheltered accommodation for vulnerable adults. Directly comparable on the housing side of LIHH's model (Davitt House / 53 tenancies), though without the Irish-specific cultural layer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/leedsirishcommunity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/20565844/admin/feed/posts
• Xx.com/leedsirish

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Leeds Irish Health & Homes