What Crawley Open House does

Crawley Open House is a UK-registered charity (Charity no. 1048919, Company no. 3048461) founded in 1982 as the Crawley Community Resources Centre and incorporated under its current name in 1994. It delivers a vertically integrated homelessness and social-exclusion service in Crawley and West Sussex, centred on a 24-bed high-support hostel at Riverside House in Three Bridges and supported by seven move-on houses accommodating 36 residents, a resource centre for employability and life-skills training, an in-house health team (GP, counselling, mental health and substance misuse support), a resettlement team that interfaces with local housing providers, an advice team covering benefits, debt, banking and employment, and outreach workers engaging rough sleepers. Operating 365 days a year, the organization reports 99.3% hostel occupancy and 68% resettlement into permanent or alternative accommodation in 2024/25, alongside 57,040 support hours, 48,000 meals, 1,114 outreach interventions, and up to 20 daily emergency food parcels.

The business and operating model is non-profit and free-to-user: there is no pricing for core services, and revenue is generated entirely from donations, fundraising, and grants. Funding streams include individual giving (including the '1 in 1000' monthly £10 campaign), corporate partnerships and Charity-of-the-Year relationships, third-party donation platforms (JustGiving, easyfundraising, Amazon Smile), community events (Ride Reigate, Footgolf, Run Reigate, Big Sleepout), statutory funding from West Sussex County Council and the Local Assistance Network, and in-kind gifts. Service delivery uses no proprietary technology stack — operations run on standard web, social, and telephony infrastructure — and the organization relies on a small senior management team (CEO Charlie Arratoon, Heads of Operations, Day Services, Residential, Fundraising, Finance) under a board of trustees chaired by James Abdool, with comedian Romesh Ranganathan serving as patron.

Name

Crawley Open House

Legal name

Crawley Open House

Website

https://crawleyopenhouse.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Crawley Open House is a Crawley-based UK registered charity, founded in 1982, providing 24-bed hostel accommodation, move-on housing, outreach, health, resettlement, and advice services to homeless and socially excluded individuals across Crawley and West Sussex.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Homelessness and Social Exclusion Support Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Temporary Shelters (624221), Other Community Housing Services (624229)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC), General Assisted Living Facilities (HLADABAA)

Keywords

• Homelessness support services
• Emergency hostel accommodation
• Resettlement housing services
• Rough sleeper outreach
• Homeless charity services

Headquarters

HQ city

Crawley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-off and regular donations from individuals via credit/debit card, bank transfer, and text giving. The organization runs a '1 in 1000' campaign encouraging monthly £10 donations.
2. Corporate Partnerships and Fundraising: Corporate partnerships including Charity of the Year relationships, team building events, sponsorship, Payroll Giving, gifts in kind, and pro-bono support. Money boxes and event fundraising through JustGiving.
3. Third-Party Donation Platforms: Donations collected through easyfundraising.org.uk and smile.amazon.co.uk when shoppers select Crawley Open House as their charity.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Crawley Open House is a registered charity providing free, year-round hostel accommodation (24 bed-spaces at Riverside House) and wraparound homelessness and social-exclusion services in Crawley and West Sussex. The offer covers emergency accommodation, move-on housing (7 houses / 36 residents), a drop-in Resource Centre, health and outreach support, resettlement and housing advice, benefits/debt/employment advice, life-skills and employability training, and emergency food parcel distribution. Services are delivered face-to-face from the Riverside House site, the nearby Resource Centre, move-on houses in the community, and through street outreach, with no fees charged to service users.

Product overview

Crawley Open House is a local, independent registered charity providing comprehensive homelessness support services in Crawley and West Sussex. Founded in 1982, the organization operates as a unified service offering centered around its high-support hostel at Riverside House. The core portfolio includes: Hostel Accommodation (24 bed-spaces for homeless adults), Move-On Houses (7 houses accommodating 36 residents for independent living preparation), Resource Centre (drop-in support, classes, and food parcel distribution), Health Team Services (GP access, counselling, mental health support), Resettlement Team (housing support and referrals), Advice Team (benefits, debt, and financial guidance), Outreach Services (rough sleeper support), and Food Parcel Distribution. Services operate 365 days a year with a focus on resettlement outcomes, with 68% of hostel residents being resettled to permanent accommodation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hostel Accommodation A year-round, high-support hostel providing 24 bed-spaces for homeless men and women over 18 years of age in Crawley and West Sussex. Residents stay for an initial 28 days while suitable move-on options are explored. The hostel accepts people regardless of issues including alcohol/substance misuse, mental health problems, and recent release from hospital or prison, and accommodates pets — a differentiator uncommon in homelessness services.
• Move-On Houses Seven community-based move-on houses across Crawley accommodating 36 residents in total. These houses offer lower-support shared housing with affordable rent for job seekers and those on low incomes, providing a staged pathway from the 24-bed hostel towards fully independent living.
• Resource Centre A drop-in resource centre providing practical and emotional support to homeless, disadvantaged and socially excluded adults. Open access between 10am and 12:30pm Monday to Friday, appointments between 1pm and 3pm, and afternoon classes/workshops covering music, creative writing, acupuncture, healing, CSCS card training, computer skills, cooking, barista training, peer support and Back 2 Work drop-in sessions. Up to 20 emergency food parcels are also distributed daily from the centre.
• Health Team Services Holistic in-house health and well-being support for homeless and disadvantaged service users, including GP appointments for street-homeless clients, chiropodist access, counselling services, and dedicated support for mental health, alcohol and substance misuse issues.
• Resettlement Team Supports homeless and insecurely housed people with housing issues, completing referrals and applications to suitable housing providers (including for those seeking accommodation outside Crawley), and works with insecurely housed people on issues such as improper evictions or poor standards of maintenance.
• Advice Team Provides financial well-being support including welfare benefits advice, debt management, and budgeting skills guidance and planning, helping clients navigate benefits, banking, employment and debt issues.
• Outreach Services Community-based outreach workers support people in Crawley and West Sussex who are sleeping rough or at risk of becoming homeless. The service includes a TAP Outreach Worker providing intensive support to individuals with challenging and complex behaviours, logging 1,114 outreach interventions in 2024/25.
• Emergency Food Parcel Distribution Emergency food parcels distributed to those in need at the Resource Centre. Parcels are available between 10am and 12:30pm by booking via phone (01293 447704) or walk-in, with up to 20 emergency food parcels handed out each day.
• Life Skills and Employability Training Afternoon classes and workshops for residents and service users covering CSCS card training, computer skills, cooking, barista training, New Note Music Workshop, Creative Writing, Acupuncture, Pranic Healing, Peer Support Group, and Back 2 Work Drop-in sessions — designed to build confidence and employability to support return to training, education and employment.
• Day Centre Services Drop-in day centre providing hot food and drinks, internet access, phone charging facilities, and access to advice, health, resettlement, and external services — open seven days a week as the day-services hub for hostel residents and walk-in service users.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.3% hostel bed occupancy rate in 2024/25
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Sussex Central YMCAminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Management of Southwell Lodge (a ten-bedded hostel for young people) was passed to Sussex Central YMCA in 2012 to build on the solid foundations and proven success of the initial work.
• Furni-AidminorOthersFurni-Aid, which was closing its doors, made a donation to Crawley Open House in 2019 that enabled work to begin on a new extension to provide more office space and two new bedrooms.
• West Sussex County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government funding partner. Their funding came under threat in 2018. Crawley Open House is a partner agency in the Local Assistance Network (LAN) providing emergency support to those affected by the removal of crisis loans.
• Various Housing ProviderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrawley Open House works with various housing providers to help complete referrals and applications for suitable housing for hostel residents and those seeking accommodation in other areas.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves17 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Centrepoint: UK charity supporting young people experiencing homelessness through accommodation, health, and employability services. Comparable wraparound model and Crawley Open House previously operated a parallel young-people hostel (Southwell Lodge).
• Emmaus UK: National federation of communities supporting formerly homeless people through residential accommodation, work opportunities, and training. Comparable integrated accommodation-plus-support model with a strong move-on pathway.
• Turning Point: UK social enterprise providing supported housing, substance misuse, and mental health services. Comparable in the integrated health, housing, and complex-needs support Crawley Open House delivers.
• Depaul UK: UK charity providing accommodation, support, and training services for young people and adults experiencing homelessness. Comparable operating model, particularly the night-stop and supported housing components.
• St Mungo's: Major UK homelessness charity providing hostels, move-on accommodation, health, and outreach services across London and the South. Direct peer in service model, though at significantly larger scale.
• Look Ahead Care and Support: UK provider of supported housing, mental health, and homelessness services with extensive hostel and move-on portfolios. Closely comparable operating model and a competitor for the same local-authority contracts.
• Crisis UK: National charity working to end homelessness through housing, education, training, and year-round services. Direct peer in mission, with broader geographic coverage but a similar multi-service model.
• Sussex Central YMCA: Sussex-focused YMCA providing supported housing and homelessness services. Already a known partner after taking over Southwell Lodge, and a natural regional peer in the same geography.
• Thames Reach: London-based charity supporting people out of homelessness through hostels, outreach, employment programs, and move-on housing. Directly comparable service mix, especially the outreach and resettlement functions.

Broad incumbents

• Shelter: UK national housing and homelessness charity providing advice, campaigning, and housing services. Overlaps on the advice, resettlement, and campaigning dimensions, though Shelter does not operate Crawley-style hostels.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CrawleyOpenHse
• Facebookfacebook.com/CrawleyOpenHouse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crawley-open-house
• Instagraminstagram.com/crawleyopenhouse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 Crawley Open House