What Single Homeless Project does

Single Homeless Project (SHP) is a London-based registered charity and Company Limited by Guarantee (Charity Number 287779), founded in 1975 when six homeless Londoners set out to challenge the system. It is described as London's largest homelessness charity, supporting over 10,000 people annually across a comprehensive service portfolio spanning rough sleeping outreach (Camden and Redbridge), homelessness prevention (tenancy support, offender services), accommodation (Housing First, women's services), and life-skills and employment programmes (Education Training & Employment, ArtHouse, Sport Project, Comeback Kitchen, SoundHouse). SHP pioneered the Housing First approach in England, was the first UK homelessness and supported accommodation provider to achieve Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) accreditation in 2025, and contributed to advocacy that led to the repeal of the Vagrancy Act 1824 in June 2026.

The organization's service delivery is community-led, relying on council referrals, StreetLink rough-sleeping alerts, and self-referrals in specific London boroughs, with operational hubs including the Camden Outreach Hub (Greenland Street), The Welcome Centre day hub (Ilford), and the Comeback Kitchen commercial kitchen (Leyton). It does not operate proprietary technology; its platform is a portfolio of direct human services, supported by a Knowledge Hub for research and a Shop For Good e-commerce channel. Core certifications include ISO 9001, Investors in People Silver, Fundraising Regulator registration, and Homeless Link membership.

SHP's revenue model is diversified across five streams: donations from individuals (including one-time and monthly giving through DonorsSupport), government contracts with London boroughs (Camden, Redbridge, Westminster, Islington, Haringey), corporate partnerships (volunteering, equipment, refurbished laptops, employment pathways), fundraising events (TCS London Marathon, Hackney Half, London Landmarks Half), and the Shop For Good e-commerce channel. Services are free at point of use. Headcount is reported at 501-1000, and the organization is governed by trustees with no parent entity or investor ownership.

Name

Single Homeless Project

Legal name

Single Homeless Project

Website

https://shp.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Single Homeless Project is London's largest homelessness charity, founded 1975, providing outreach, prevention, accommodation, and life-skills services to over 10,000 people annually across boroughs including Camden, Redbridge, Westminster, Islington, and Haringey, funded by donations, government contracts, and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Homelessness Social Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Temporary Shelters (624221), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Other Community Housing Services (624229)

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), Emergency Shelter, Camp Management & Non-Food Items (NFI) (BPAGAAAC), Substance Use Recovery & Harm Reduction Support Services (BPAGAEAO), Homeless, Foster Care & Highly Mobile Youth Education Services (EDAJAEAG)

Keywords

• Homelessness prevention
• Rough sleeping outreach
• Supported accommodation
• Housing first
• 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. Donations: Individual donations from the public, including one-time and monthly giving options, processed through their DonorsSupport platform.
2. Government Contracts: Contracts with local authorities across London (Camden, Redbridge, Westminster, Islington, Haringey) to provide homelessness prevention and support services.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with companies for employee volunteering, donations, job opportunities for clients, and equipment donations (e.g., refurbished laptops from corporate partners).
4. Fundraising Events: Events including TCS London Marathon, Hackney Half Marathon, London Landmarks Half Marathon, and challenge events where participants raise money.
5. Online Shop: Shop For Good sells practical items like warm clothing and everyday essentials for Londoners experiencing homelessness.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Single Homeless Project provides direct homelessness services in London, including street outreach for people sleeping rough, supported accommodation and hostels, homelessness prevention support, and recovery programmes such as Housing First. It also delivers education, training and employment (ETE) support, life-skills programmes, and domestic abuse-informed housing services (DAHA accredited) for single adults experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Product overview

Single Homeless Project is a London-based homelessness charity offering a comprehensive portfolio of social support services rather than a technology product. The organization operates as a unified service ecosystem providing: street outreach services (Camden and Redbridge Outreach Teams), homelessness prevention (Tenancy Support, Offender Services, Community-based Services), accommodation (Housing First, Women's Services), and life skills/employment programmes (Education Training & Employment, ArtHouse, Sport Project, Comeback Kitchen, SoundHouse). Services are delivered through direct delivery, strategic partnerships (StreetLink, Shelter, The Felix Project, Groundwork), and community-based delivery. The organization also operates Shop For Good for fundraising merchandise. No technology product or software platform is offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rough Sleeping Outreach
• Supported Accommodation
• Housing First
• Homelessness Prevention
• Domestic Abuse Housing Support (DAHA-accredited)
• Education, Training and Employment (ETE) Support
• SHP Online Shop

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,000+ Londoners supported every year
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, supporting and foundational.

• Standing Together Against Domestic AbusecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Led the development of adapted DAHA principles specifically for the homelessness sector, working alongside other homelessness services to shape new standards.
• Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023DAHA exists to improve the housing sector's response to domestic abuse. Single Homeless Project joined the DAHA pilot programme as the largest homelessness organization involved and became the first UK homelessness provider to achieve accreditation.
• StreetLinkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStreetLink connects members of the public with local outreach services when they see someone sleeping rough. Single Homeless Project works with StreetLink to receive referrals for Camden and Redbridge outreach services.
• The Welcome Centre (Healthy Living Projects)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity hub in Ilford providing meals, showers, laundry facilities, welfare advice, healthcare and housing support. Single Homeless Project's Redbridge Outreach Team connects clients to The Welcome Centre services including their drop-in health nurse.
• Reach Out Domestic Abuse Service (Redbridge Council)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRedbridge Council's specialist domestic abuse service providing practical and emotional support for adults and young people affected by domestic abuse. Partnership to address domestic abuse as a cause of homelessness.
• One Health LewishamsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare provider for people experiencing homelessness. Their nurse runs drop-in sessions at The Welcome Centre every Monday and Thursday, supporting Redbridge clients.
• Via Drug and Alcohol SupportmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialist drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services. Redbridge Outreach Team refers clients to Via for substance misuse support as part of their pathway away from homelessness.
• Refugee and Migrant JusticesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides specialist immigration advice and support including for people with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). Redbridge Outreach refers clients requiring immigration support.
• The Felix ProjectsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSurplus food donations provider supporting the Comeback Kitchen cooking program. Food that would otherwise go to waste is used to prepare meals and teach cooking skills.
• GroundworksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood donations partner supporting the Comeback Kitchen program. Provides surplus food for cooking classes and community meals.
• Cardboard CitizenssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheatre charity that uses drama to explore homelessness issues. SHP client Barry performed in a Cardboard Citizens production as part of his recovery and creative development.
• WrapUp LondonsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWinter coat donation initiative. SHP directs donors to WrapUp London for warm clothing donations (coats, blankets, hats, gloves) that can be lifelines for people sleeping rough.
• DropPointsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorClothing donation drop points for warm clothes. SHP recommends DropPoint as an alternative for donors wanting to give warm clothing to homeless Londoners.
• The Trussell TrustsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational food bank network. SHP recommends finding local food banks through Trussell Trust for those wanting to support people in crisis.
• Independent Food Aid NetworksupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAlternative food bank network. SHP directs supporters to find food banks through this network when recommending food bank donations.
• SheltercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor homelessness charity providing emergency helpline (0808 800 4444). SHP directs people to Shelter for legal advice, housing help, and support during housing crises. Both organizations work toward ending homelessness.
• Pathways to Housing (New York)foundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal developer of Housing First approach in early 1990s by Dr Sam Tsemberis. SHP pioneered this model in England based on Pathways' successful framework.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Depaul UK: National youth homelessness charity working across multiple UK cities including London. Depaul offers comparable accommodation and support services for young people experiencing homelessness, competing for similar age-segment funding and contracts.
• Emmaus UK: UK federation supporting people out of homelessness through accommodation in community settings and social enterprise employment. Emmaus offers an alternative accommodation model that competes with SHP's Housing First approach for restricted homelessness funding.
• Crisis UK: National charity dedicated to ending homelessness, with significant London operations. Crisis offers similar service categories (housing, education, employment) and competes with SHP for the same donor pool, government contracts, and corporate partnerships in the London market.
• Thames Reach: London-based charity working with people experiencing homelessness, particularly through outreach and employment support. Thames Reach offers directly comparable services to SHP across South and East London, competing for borough contracts and donor funding.
• The Passage: London homelessness charity based in Westminster providing day services, hostels, and outreach. Strong geographic and service overlap with SHP, both operating in central London boroughs with similar rough sleeper outreach and accommodation models.
• St Mungo's: London-focused homelessness charity providing outreach, accommodation, and recovery services. St Mungo's and SHP directly compete for London borough contracts, operate similar Housing First and substance recovery programs, and target overlapping client populations.
• Shelter: UK's largest national homelessness charity providing advice, support, and legal services. Both SHP and Shelter focus on homelessness prevention and housing support, though Shelter operates nationally with a strong advice/helpline model while SHP specializes in direct service delivery across London.
• Centrepoint: UK charity focused specifically on youth homelessness (16-25), overlapping with SHP's young people's services. Both offer hostels, casework support, and independent living preparation, and compete for the same restricted youth homelessness funding streams.

Broad incumbents

• Homeless Link: National membership body for homelessness charities, of which SHP is a member. Homeless Link operates at a sector-support level rather than direct service delivery, but influences funding allocation, policy, and best practice standards that affect SHP's operating environment.

Emerging players

• Pathway (UK): UK charity focused specifically on healthcare for people experiencing homelessness, working with NHS partners. Pathway's health-focused model complements SHP's services and represents a potential partnership opportunity as well as an adjacent competitor for health-related homelessness funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SHPcharity
• Facebookfacebook.com/shpcharity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/singlehomelessproject
• Instagraminstagram.com/shpcharity

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Single Homeless Project