SHAP

What SHAP does

SHAP Ltd is a UK registered charity (charity number 1075118) and company limited by guarantee (number 1946544) headquartered in St Helens, Merseyside, delivering supported housing, emergency accommodation, floating support, and specialist services for young and vulnerable people. Founded in 1981 as an eight-bed hostel, SHAP has expanded into 16+ schemes spanning emergency hostels (Sherdley House, Shelagh Delaney House), supported housing (OneSixTwo, Octavia Court, Meyrick Court, Selina Cooper House, Elizabeth Anderson House, Kirkby Schemes), family accommodation (Belvidere Family Centre, Residential Family Centre), specialist programmes (Liverpool Harm Reduction Scheme for men aged 40+ with alcohol problems, BAME Community Development Scheme), and the Steps Supported Lodging Scheme for care leavers. Service users include homeless young people aged 16-25, teenage parents, looked-after children, BAME communities, and vulnerable adults with complex needs, with approximately 1,200 people supported annually.

The underlying technology layer is modest: an ISO 9001:2015-certified quality management system (audited by NQA) supports operational consistency, supplemented by referral management workflows, an online housing application form, and donation infrastructure (Enthuse, The Giving Machine, Amazon Smile). Ofsted registration governs the Residential Family Centre's parenting assessment service. No proprietary software platforms, APIs, or AI/ML systems are evident.

Revenue is generated through a multi-stream model dominated by local authority commissioning (St Helens MBC, Liverpool City Council, Knowsley Council, Halton Borough Council) and NHS North West Boroughs Healthcare, supplemented by Housing Benefit-funded rents, small weekly service-user contributions (£15.99–£36/week), payroll giving, individual donations, and rental income from a small private rented portfolio. SHAP operates over 100 staff across Merseyside with established referral partnerships into social services, housing options teams, midwives, health visitors, family nurses, and five regional universities.

Name

SHAP

Legal name

SHAP Ltd

Website

https://shap.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SHAP is a UK registered charity, founded 1981, delivering supported housing, emergency accommodation, floating support and specialist services for young and vulnerable people across Merseyside, serving approximately 1,200 people annually through 16+ schemes commissioned by local authorities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Alton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Fundraising from individual donors through one-time and regular donations via Enthuse platform, The Giving Machine, and Amazon Smile. Donation amounts from £5 to £100+ help fund activities, equipment, and staff support.
2. Payroll Giving: Regular tax-free donations taken directly from employee salaries before tax deduction. Employers operate schemes through payroll giving agencies with 2-4% agency fees typically deducted.
3. Local Authority Funding: Services commissioned and funded by local authorities including St Helens MBC Children and Adult Services, Supporting People Programme, Children's Health Commissioner, Liverpool City Council, Public Health Liverpool, Knowsley Council, and Halton Borough Council.
4. Housing Benefit: Service users' rent covered by Housing Benefit when entitled. Residents pay weekly contributions for utilities and services.
5. Private Rented Properties: Small number of properties available for private rent generating income for SHAP to invest in service delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SHAP is a registered charity that provides housing and support services for young and vulnerable people across Merseyside. Its core offering includes emergency accommodation, supported housing, floating (community-based) support, and specialist schemes such as harm reduction and BAME community development, delivered through approximately 16 schemes across St Helens, Liverpool, Knowsley, and Halton.

Product overview

SHAP is a charity providing housing and support services to young and vulnerable people across Merseyside. The organization offers a comprehensive portfolio of services including accommodation-based services (emergency hostels, supported housing, residential family centres), floating support services (community-based housing support), and specialist schemes (BAME community development, harm reduction). Key products include Sherdley House, Shelagh Delaney House, and Octavia Court for emergency accommodation; Elizabeth Anderson House, Selina Cooper House, OneSixTwo, and Meyrick Court for supported housing; Belvidere Family Centre for family emergency accommodation; Residential Family Centre for parenting assessments; and floating support schemes for community-based support. The organization also manages private rented properties and runs Steps Supported Lodging Scheme, supporting young care leavers with host families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Housing Support and Wellbeing Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of respondents felt their experience with SHAP made a positive impact on their life (April 2021 - March 2022)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 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

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Liverpool City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing Options service referrals for homeless families. Funded Belvidere Family Centre renovation (£3.6m) and provides commissioning funding for services including Harm Reduction Scheme (with Public Health Liverpool).
• Halton Borough CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner providing commissioning and funding for services in Halton area.
• Knowsley CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnowsley Housing Solutions and Social Care refer clients. Partnership for Shelagh Delaney House and Kirkby Schemes.
• St Helens CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned by St Helens MBC Children and Adult Services, Supporting People Programme, Children's Health Commissioner, and Housing Options service. Provides funding for multiple schemes including Selina Cooper House, Sherdley House, OneSixTwo, and floating support services.
• RiversidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRiverside Housing Association - SHAP manages seven two-bedroom terraced properties on behalf of Riverside for young parents. Also a founding partner organisation.
• RegendacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegenda Homes owns Meyrick Court which SHAP manages. Regenda is also a founding partner organisation.
• OnwardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing association partner and founding partner organisation of SHAP.
• NHS North West BoroughscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare commissioner providing funding and partnership for mental health and wellbeing services including BAME Community Development Scheme.
• The Whitechapel CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint management of Belvidere Family Centre with staff from both organisations delivering 24/7 support. Also partnership on Liverpool Harm Reduction Scheme.
• Staffordshire UniversityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUniversity partner for student placements and educational collaboration.
• University of ChesterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUniversity partner for social work student placements.
• Liverpool Hope UniversityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUniversity partner for social work student placements.
• Edge Hill UniversityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUniversity partner for social work student placements.
• Liverpool John Moores UniversityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUniversity partner for social work student placements.
• Merseyside Law CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal services partnership supporting service users with legal advice needs.
• TorusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing association partner listed as partner organisation.
• Halton & St Helens VCAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVoluntary and Community Action organisation partnership.
• AmbrosiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisation listed on SHAP website.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Depaul UK: UK charity working with young people facing homelessness and disadvantage through accommodation and support services. Comparable service mix (emergency accommodation, supported lodgings, floating support) and commissioning model.
• Centrepoint: UK charity providing accommodation, support and training to homeless young people aged 16–25. Directly comparable to SHAP on target population, supported-housing model, and local-authority commissioning, but operating at national scale.
• St Mungo's: Major UK homelessness charity delivering supported housing, outreach and recovery services across multiple regions. Closely aligned with SHAP's accommodation-plus-support model for vulnerable adults and young people.
• Together Trust: UK charity delivering supported housing, residential care and services for children, young people and adults with complex needs. Closely aligned with SHAP's specialist supported-housing schemes for vulnerable young people and families.
• The Whitechapel Centre: Liverpool-based homelessness charity delivering supported housing, hostels and outreach. Co-manages Belvidere Family Centre with SHAP and is a direct operational peer in the Merseyside market.

Broad incumbents

• Catch22: Social business delivering housing, education and justice services across the UK. Comparable supported-housing and youth services, but with broader portfolio and greater national scale than SHAP.
• Regenda Homes: Housing association and founding partner of SHAP owning Meyrick Court. Provides general-needs and supported housing in the North West; comparable on supported-housing delivery but at broader scale and as a landlord.
• YMCA England & Wales: National federation providing supported accommodation, housing and youth services across England and Wales. Overlaps with SHAP on young-person supported housing but operates as a much broader, multi-service organization.
• Riverside Housing: Housing association and founding partner of SHAP that owns properties SHAP manages. Comparable on supported housing for young parents and vulnerable people, but as a much larger landlord-led organization.

Regional players

• Local Solutions: Merseyside-based charity offering supported accommodation, refugee support and community services. Comparable on geography and mission, with overlapping service lines (refugee resettlement, supported housing).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/shapltd
• Facebookfacebook.com/shapltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 SHAP