Amber Foundation

What Amber Foundation does

Amber Foundation (legally 'The Amber Foundation') is a UK registered charity and company limited by guarantee, founded in 1994 to support young adults aged 18-30 experiencing homelessness and unemployment. The organisation operates four supported housing centres across southern England — Ashley Court (Devon, up to 30 residents), Bythesea Lodge (Wiltshire, up to 32), Farm Place (Surrey, up to 31), and Downsview (Kent, up to 25) — providing combined capacity for approximately 118 young adults in shared and single bedrooms.

The core service combines temporary accommodation with a structured Personal Development Programme organised around four pillars: independent living skills, employment, health and wellbeing, and fun and participation. Residents progress through Induction, Development, and Move-On teams, with the abstinence-based model supported by regular drug and alcohol testing. Optional add-on strands include Employability Training (CV writing, mock interviews, employer placements) and Independent Living Skills Training (cooking, tenancy, financial management). Delivery is reinforced by employer partnerships (Ringway, Taylor Wimpey, Weinerberger, Willmott Dixon, Hays Recruitment) and community organisations (Ocean Youth Trust, VIY, Surrey Care Trust, The Orpheus Centre) that provide work experience, volunteering, and accreditation pathways. No proprietary technology platform exists; operations rely on standard charity SaaS tools (JustGiving, MailChimp, Google Analytics, FormAssembly).

Amber is funded entirely through charitable donations, fundraising campaigns (including the Big Give Christmas Challenge), corporate partnerships, legacy giving, and grants from bodies such as the National Lottery Community Fund and Youth Futures Foundation. Services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries. Referrals are accepted nationally via online form, phone, and email, processed by dedicated admissions coordinators, with no local connection requirement. The organisation is privately operated with no parent company, no external investors, and governed by Chief Executive Paul Rosam and a senior management team of 13 named individuals.

Name

Amber Foundation

Legal name

The Amber Foundation

Website

https://amberweb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Amber Foundation is a UK charity providing supported housing and personal development programmes for young homeless adults aged 18-30 across four centres in Devon, Wiltshire, Surrey, and Kent. Services are free to residents and funded through donations, corporate partnerships, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Supported Housing Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC)

Keywords

• Supported housing services
• Youth homelessness support
• Personal development programmes
• Charitable accommodation services
• Employability training

Headquarters

HQ city

Chawleigh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Amber Foundation generates revenue primarily through charitable donations from individuals, companies, and grant-making organizations. They run fundraising campaigns including the Big Give Christmas Challenge, sponsored events, and accept legacy gifts. The organization receives support from corporate partners and runs company involvement programs.
2. Government and Trust Funding: The organization receives funding from government sources and charitable trusts including the National Lottery Community Fund and Youth Futures Foundation. They accept referrals through local authority housing prevention panels.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Amber Foundation provides supported housing and a structured Personal Development Programme for young homeless adults aged 18–30 across four residential centres in England (Ashley Court in Devon, Bythesea Lodge in Wiltshire, Downsview in Kent, and Farm Place in Surrey). Residents receive accommodation, mentoring, and training across four pillars: Managing Tenancy, Independent Living Skills, Employability, and Health & Wellbeing, delivered under an abstinence-based model.

Product overview

Amber Foundation operates a single, unified supported housing service with four regional centres providing homeless support and accommodation for young adults aged 18-30. The core offering combines temporary housing with a structured Personal Development Programme that addresses independent living skills, employability, health and wellbeing, and community participation. Each centre (Ashley Court in Devon, Bythesea Lodge in Wiltshire, Downsview in Kent, and Farm Place in Surrey) offers shared bedroom accommodation alongside personalised support teams, skills training, and pathways to employment. The Referral Services enable access to the programme through multiple channels including self-referrals, statutory services, and partner charities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Supported Housing Services for Young Adults Free, abstinence-based residential supported housing for young homeless adults aged 18–30, delivered across four centres in England with personalised support and structured personal development.
• Personal Development Programme A structured four-pillar programme covering Managing Tenancy, Independent Living Skills, Employability, and Health & Wellbeing, delivered to residents during their stay at Amber Foundation's centres.
• National Referral Service Centralised referral service through which statutory bodies, partner agencies, and other referrers submit referrals for young homeless adults aged 18–30 to access Amber Foundation's supported housing.
• Ashley Court (Devon) Residential supported housing centre in Chawleigh, Devon, serving young homeless adults aged 18–30 with accommodation and access to the Personal Development Programme; also the registered office of the charity.
• Bythesea Lodge (Wiltshire) Residential supported housing centre in Tidworth, Wiltshire, providing accommodation and Personal Development Programme delivery for young homeless adults aged 18–30.
• Downsview (Kent) Residential supported housing centre in Kent, opened in 2022, providing accommodation and Personal Development Programme delivery for young homeless adults aged 18–30.
• Farm Place (Surrey) Residential supported housing centre in Surrey, opened in April 2010, providing accommodation and Personal Development Programme delivery for young homeless adults aged 18–30.

Quantifiable outcome

• Young adults successfully leave Amber and move on to employment, training, or education with sustainable accommodation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Mark Webber (Ambassador)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Nine-time Formula One Grand Prix winner and TV pundit became an Amber ambassador in 2023. Visited the Surrey centre and supports raising awareness of the charity's work.
• Ringway (Highways)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRingway, who manage and maintain the largest portfolio of highways in the UK, delivers careers talks and employability workshops at Bythesea Lodge. Young people have been successfully recruited from these sessions into full-time permanent positions with the company.
• WeinerbergercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeinerberger (brick makers) has established employer links with Farm Place in Surrey. Young people have been supported into employment at the company's local brickworks operation.
• Hays RecruitmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal recruitment company with established relationships at Ashley Court in Devon supporting young people with job placement.
• Willmott DixonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction company with established employer relationships at Ashley Court in Devon supporting employment pathways for young people.
• Fresha CateringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal catering company with established relationships at Ashley Court in Devon supporting employment pathways.
• Ocean Youth TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYoung people from Amber centres have the opportunity to spend time aboard the Ocean Youth Trust's boat 'The Prolific', gaining nautical experience and team-building skills.
• Harlequins Rugby ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWill Porter, scrum-half at Harlequins, became an Amber ambassador in 2024. He visited Farm Place and has opened up opportunities for young people at Harlequins training ground in Guildford.
• Ringway Highway MaintenancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal company with established employer links at Farm Place in Surrey supporting employment readiness and job placement for young people.
• The Weald FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal foundation working with Downsview in Kent on community engagement and support activities.
• Kingswood LeisureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal leisure organization engaged in community activities with Downsview in Kent.
• Taylor WimpeycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor housebuilder creating employment pathways and training opportunities for young people at Downsview in Kent. Partnership includes career talks, site visits, and job placement support.
• Danyah Miller / Unicorn PresentationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthor, performer, storyteller, and trainer delivers presentation skills workshops at Farm Place. Danyah has collaborated with the centre for four years, initially delivering storytelling skills workshops before focusing on presentation and communication skills.
• Uprising (Local Charity)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal charity providing volunteering opportunities for young people at Amber centres. Young people volunteer with Uprising on community projects such as putting up fences.
• Surrey Care TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal charity providing volunteering opportunities for young people at Farm Place in Surrey.
• Froggetts Farm FlowersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal flower farm providing volunteering and work experience opportunities for young people at Farm Place in Surrey.
• The Orpheus CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal special needs adult college providing arts and music project opportunities for young people at Farm Place.
• VIY (Volunteer-It-Yourself)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIY delivers practical skills projects at Amber centres including construction and maintenance work. Young people gain City & Guilds accreditations while working on real community projects.
• Eddie Jordan OBE (Patron)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEddie Jordan OBE is Amber Foundation's Patron and introduced Mark Webber to the organization.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• YMCA England & Wales: Federated charity providing supported accommodation, training and wellbeing programmes, including residential housing for vulnerable young people. Overlaps with Amber in the residential supported-housing segment and skills/employment pathways, but operates as a much broader, multi-site federation.
• Look Ahead Care and Support: Large provider of supported housing, floating support and care services across London and southern England, including services for young people. Comparable to Amber as a supported-housing provider in overlapping southern-English geographies, though at significantly larger scale and broader demographic coverage.
• St Mungo's: Major England-wide homelessness charity providing supported housing, recovery and outreach services across multiple client groups. Overlaps with Amber in residential supported-housing delivery and recovery support, but operates at far greater scale and across a wider demographic than Amber's 18–30 focus.
• Crisis UK: National membership-based homelessness charity delivering housing, education, training and campaigning on homelessness. Comparable to Amber through its supported-housing and employment pathways, though Crisis operates at national scale and includes a wider age range plus policy/advocacy work.

Direct peers

• Depaul UK: Charity working specifically with young people facing homelessness and adversity, providing supported housing, Nightstop and employability programmes. Closely comparable to Amber on the youth-housing segment, target demographic and outcomes-based supported-housing model.
• Centrepoint: UK's largest dedicated youth homelessness charity, providing supported housing, learning and wellbeing support to 16–24 year-olds. Most direct comparable to Amber given overlapping target age band, supported-housing model and referral-based access, though at materially greater national scale.
• The Foyer Federation: Charity developing and accrediting a network of supported-housing 'Foyers' that combine accommodation with training and personal development for 16–25 year-olds. Highly comparable to Amber on the supported-housing-plus-personal-development model targeted at young people transitioning to independence.

Regional players

• Together UK: Mental-health and housing charity providing supported accommodation and wellbeing services across multiple UK regions. Comparable to Amber in combining housing with structured recovery/wellbeing support, though with a broader mental-health focus rather than a narrow 18–30 demographic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AmberFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/AmberFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/amber-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/theamberfoundation

Compliance3 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 Amber Foundation