Cambridge Cyrenians

What Cambridge Cyrenians does

Cambridge Cyrenians is a Cambridge-based registered charity (Charity 261994; Company 992199) founded in 1970 and tracing its origins to the 1965 Cambridge Companions of Simon. Operating under a 'homes not hostels' philosophy, the organization provides supported accommodation and specialist Wellbeing and Independence Services to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Cambridge. Its service portfolio comprises four integrated offerings: Supported Accommodation (delivered through small shared houses and self-contained flats, with dedicated typologies for short-stay, long-stay, Housing First, women-only using a Psychology Informed Environment approach, prison leavers, and move-on); the Older Homeless Service for the 45+ cohort; a Wellbeing & Mental Health Service delivered by qualified mental health practitioners; and the Community Allotment, a therapeutic horticulture program on a six-plot site. In 2025, the charity supported 140 people in accommodation, 56 in the Older Homeless Service, 46 in the Mental Health Service, and 18 at the Community Allotment, alongside 370 hours of volunteer counselling.

The organization operates with approximately 18 staff under Director James Martin and Head of Services Emma Hooton, and is governed by an independent board of trustees with no parent company or external investors. Revenue is generated entirely from non-commercial sources: individual donations (one-off and monthly recurring via JustGiving and the website), corporate partnerships (Lush, Cambridge BID, With Purpose Network, and others), trust and foundation grants (Garfield Weston Foundation, Evelyn Trust, Cambridgeshire Community Foundation, Fine & Country Foundation, allia Impact), government contracts with Cambridge City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council, the Cambridgeshire Community Lottery, legacy gifts, and challenge-event fundraising. Access to accommodation is primarily by referral through Cambridge City Council's Housing Advice Team or via the Streets to Home Partnership consortium (Riverside Group, Jimmy's Cambridge, Wintercomfort, Cambridge Housing Society, Change Grow Live). Technology infrastructure is limited to standard nonprofit tools — WordPress, Mailchimp, JustGiving, GivenGain — with no proprietary platform or AI/ML capability. Distribution is single-geography (Cambridge only), and the customer base is a high-trust vulnerable population served through referral pathways and self-referral for the Older Homeless Service.

Name

Cambridge Cyrenians

Legal name

Cambridge Cyrenians Ltd

Website

https://cambridgecyrenians.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cambridge Cyrenians is a Cambridge-based registered charity founded in 1970 that delivers supported accommodation, mental health, older homeless, and community allotment services to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Cambridge, funded by donations, grants, and local authority contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Homelessness and Supported Housing Services

NAICS

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

• Homelessness support services
• Supported accommodation
• Mental health support
• Housing first services
• Community allotment therapy

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-off and monthly recurring donations from individual supporters, processed through the website and JustGiving platform. Donors can give any amount with immediate impact on services.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with businesses including corporate donations, payroll giving, fundraising events, gifts in kind, and employee volunteering. Partners include Lush, Elite Adventures, Cambridge BID, and other local businesses.
3. Trust and Foundation Grants: Grant funding from trusts and foundations including allia Impact, Garfield Weston Foundation, Evelyn Trust, Fine & Country Foundation, Cambridgeshire Community Foundation, and others. Supports specific projects and core service delivery.
4. Legacy Gifts: Gifts in wills including residuary gifts (share of estate), pecuniary gifts (fixed sum), and valuable items. Legacy giving is promoted as a way to support future generations.
5. Government Contracts: Funding agreements with local government including Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridge City Council for delivering homelessness services. Part of the Streets to Home Partnership consortium.
6. Community Lottery: Cambridgeshire Community Lottery partnership where supporters purchase weekly lottery tickets at £1, with proceeds supporting the charity and participants entered into weekly draws with prizes up to £25,000.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cambridge Cyrenians is a registered charity providing supported accommodation and specialist Wellbeing and Independence Services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Cambridge. Its core offerings include a portfolio of housing options (short-stay, long-stay, Housing First, women-only, prison leaver, and move-on houses) delivered through small shared houses and self-contained flats, an Older Homeless Service for people aged 45+, a Wellbeing and Mental Health Service with qualified mental health practitioners and volunteer counsellors, and a therapeutic Community Allotment running twice-weekly horticulture sessions.

Product overview

Cambridge Cyrenians operates as a unified service portfolio providing supported accommodation and wellbeing services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Cambridge. Their core offerings include Supported Accommodation (with multiple housing types: short-stay, long-stay, Housing First, women-only, prison leavers, and move-on houses), the Older Homeless Service for people aged 45+, a Wellbeing & Mental Health Service with qualified mental health practitioners, and a Community Allotment therapeutic horticulture project. These services work together as an integrated support system, combining safe housing with tailored emotional and practical support to help individuals rebuild their lives with dignity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Supported Accommodation Safe, stable housing for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Cambridge, delivered through small shared houses and self-contained flats rather than large hostel environments. Includes short-stay (single-room accommodation for ten men and women), long-stay houses, Housing First properties, women-only accommodation using a Psychology Informed Environment (PIE) approach, prison leaver accommodation, and move-on houses accommodating three to five residents.
• Older Homeless Service Tailored support service for people aged 45 and over experiencing homelessness or at risk, helping them secure and maintain safe, stable housing, access health and social care, and reduce isolation. Accepts self-referrals from individuals, professionals and organisations in addition to professional referrals.
• Wellbeing & Mental Health Service Long-term specialist mental health support delivered by a qualified mental health nurse and team of volunteer counsellors, providing direct mental health support, counselling, help accessing GPs, psychiatrists, and adult mental health services, and working with partner organisations for joined-up care. Provided 370 hours of counselling and supported 46 people in 2025.
• Community Allotment Project Therapeutic community garden using a horticulture model, providing a safe outdoor space with six full-sized plots in central Cambridge where people experiencing homelessness can connect with nature, learn skills, and improve wellbeing through twice-weekly sessions. Featured vegetable plots, wildlife area, ponds, orchard, forest skills zone with fire pit, beekeeping area, polytunnel, and social space called 'The Old Barn'. Awarded the Wildlife Gardening Award by The Wildlife Trust.

Quantifiable outcome

• 140 people given safety and stability in supported accommodation (2025)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Streets to Home PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCambridge Cyrenians is part of Cambridge's Streets to Home Partnership consortium working together to ensure joined-up services and best pathways to recovery and secure housing. Partners include The Riverside Group, Jimmy's Cambridge, Wintercomfort for the Homeless, Cambridge Housing Society, and Change Grow Live (who run the Street Outreach Service).
• Cambridgeshire County CouncilcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal government funder and partner providing funding for homelessness services. Contractual relationship for service delivery.
• Cambridge City CouncilcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal government partner providing referrals and funding. Housing Advice Team serves as primary referral pathway for accommodation services.
• Cambridgeshire Housing First ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership delivering Housing First accommodation - providing long-term stability as a starting point for recovery with no conditions other than wanting a tenancy.
• National Open Garden SchememinorGTM or Marketing PartnerOpen Garden Scheme supports allotment and community garden activities.
• With Purpose NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner network for social impact businesses.
• Elite AdventuresminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdventure company offering challenge events and virtual challenges for fundraisers.
• LushminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCosmetics retailer with corporate social responsibility partnership.
• Cambridge BIDminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBusiness improvement district supporting local businesses and community initiatives.
• Heavenly MessagesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides 10-25% discount on messages with proceeds donated to Cambridge Cyrenians.
• Cambridgeshire Community LotteryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWeekly lottery at £1 per week supporting Cambridge Cyrenians with prizes up to £25,000.
• Movement for Good (Benefact Group)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual programme donating over £1 million to charities. Nominations can result in £1,000 donation at no cost.
• EasyfundraisingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOver 8,000 brands donate to Cambridge Cyrenians when supporters shop online through the platform.
• Good Gifts Catalogue (Charities Advisory Trust)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCatalogue of charitable gifts where donors can provide direct and practical help with tools, materials and equipment for the allotment.
• Embrace CambridgeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal community organization partnership.
• OverburyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner with social impact focus.
• Liberation CycleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCycling-focused corporate partner.
• MenorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFine art printing and framing specialists with CSR partnership.
• PropUp ProjectminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial impact project partnership.
• SimPalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCharity providing SIM cards keeping people connected.
• SocktopusminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSock retailer with charitable giving partnership.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• HomeGroup: UK housing association providing supported and general needs housing, including specialist homelessness accommodation. Comparable supported housing model with associated wellbeing support, primarily operating outside London and the South East.

Direct peers

• Crisis UK: National homelessness charity offering accommodation, education, employment support, and advocacy. Operates similar move-on and Housing First services for people experiencing homelessness across the UK.
• Jimmy's Cambridge: Cambridge-based homelessness charity providing emergency accommodation, shelter, and support services. Direct Streets to Home Partnership consortium member alongside Cambridge Cyrenians, serving overlapping rough sleeper and homeless populations in the same city.
• St Mungo's: Large UK homelessness charity providing supported accommodation, recovery services, and Housing First programmes. Operates broadly similar supported housing and move-on accommodation models, particularly relevant given its Housing First scale.
• Changing Lives: UK charity providing accommodation, homelessness prevention, and recovery services including specialist programmes for women, prison leavers, and people with complex needs - matching Cambridge Cyrenians' segmentation approach.
• Emmaus UK: National federation of communities providing supported accommodation, meaningful activity, and training for people who have experienced homelessness. Operates a similar 'home and community' model with emphasis on move-on rather than hostel-style provision.
• Wintercomfort for the Homeless: Cambridge-based charity supporting people experiencing homelessness through day centre services, advice, and onward referral. Also a Streets to Home Partnership consortium member, serving the same beneficiary population with complementary (rather than overlapping) day-time services.
• Centrepoint: UK charity supporting young people experiencing homelessness through accommodation, mental health support, and skills development. Comparable wraparound support model combining housing with wellbeing services, though focused on a younger age cohort.

Broad incumbents

• The Salvation Army UK: Large established charity operating supported accommodation, addiction recovery, and community support services across the UK. A broader incumbent with overlapping homelessness and supported housing capability but operating as part of a much wider social services portfolio.
• YMCA England & Wales: Federation of local YMCAs providing supported accommodation, health and wellbeing programmes, and community services. Overlaps with Cambridge Cyrenians' housing plus wellbeing model but operates at significantly greater scale and breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cambridgecyrenians
• Facebookfacebook.com/cambridgecyrenians
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cambridge-cyrenians
• Instagraminstagram.com/cambridgecyrenians
• TikToktiktok.com/@cambridgecyrenians

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Cambridge Cyrenians