JustUs

What JustUs does

JustUs is a small, Bedford-based homelessness advocacy charity registered in England and Wales (Charitable Incorporated Organisation, charity number 1166198). Founded in July 2014 by individuals who observed that homeless people were being systematically denied statutory housing duties by Local Authorities — a practice known as 'gatekeeping' — the organisation officially registered with the Charity Commission in March 2016. It serves homeless individuals and families, and those threatened with homelessness, in the Bedford area, with a documented track record of supporting 532 individuals across 76 households (including 197 children) over a five-year period.

The organisation's core service is direct advocacy to help individuals apply to Bedford Borough Council for housing support and to challenge wrongful decisions, including refusals to accept homelessness applications, denial of temporary accommodation, and denial of access to social housing registers. Auxiliary services, delivered when funding allows, include a 3-month tenancy sustainment floating support programme (covering utilities setup, housing benefit, and council tax support) and the provision of furniture, white goods, and small household goods to newly rehoused individuals. The team comprises 5 staff, including trustees and caseworkers. Services are free to beneficiaries, and the value proposition is explicitly grounded in deep knowledge of UK homelessness law and Local Government Ombudsman complaint processes, framed as filling a gap left when Legal Aid for housing/homelessness was franchised away from smaller providers.

JustUs is 100% donation-funded, primarily via BACS transfers, with supplementary giving through the CAF Donate platform and Gift Aid claims. Identified funders include the Harpur Trust, Steel Charitable Trust, Project Eidos, and Panacea Trust. The organisation has no proprietary technology platform, no app, no disclosed revenue figure, and no expansion beyond its single Bedford operational base. Its reach is extended only through social media presence (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest) and awareness partnerships such as the Everyday Heroes Awards.

Name

JustUs

Legal name

JustUs

Website

https://justus.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

JustUs is a small Bedford-based UK charity that advocates for homeless and at-risk individuals in their housing applications to Bedford Borough Council, challenging council gatekeeping and providing post-rehousing tenancy sustainment and household goods support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Homelessness Advocacy Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Other Community Housing Services (624229)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIANAC

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Housing, Urban Planning & Community Development

SECONDARYBPAGAEAB

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

Keywords

• Homelessness advocacy
• Housing support
• Tenancy sustainment
• Statutory housing access
• Welfare advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Bedford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations: JustUs relies entirely on charitable donations from individuals and organisations. The preferred method is BACS transfer to ensure 100% of donations reach the charity. Donors can also give through the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) Donate platform, though a percentage is deducted. UK taxpayers can authorise Gift Aid claims for their donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

JustUs is a Bedford-based homelessness advocacy charity that supports people applying to Bedford Borough Council for statutory housing support when they are homeless or threatened with homelessness. It challenges council gatekeeping practices through advocacy, appeal and complaint processes, and additionally provides a 3-month tenancy sustainment floating support service and furniture, white goods, and small household goods to people once rehoused. All services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries.

Product overview

JustUs is a charitable organization offering homelessness advocacy and support services in the Bedford area. The core service is homelessness advocacy, which helps individuals apply to Bedford Borough Council for housing support and challenges council gatekeeping practices. Supporting services include a 3-month tenancy sustainment floating support program and provision of household goods (furniture, white goods, small household items). The organization operates as a single-service charity without a platform-plus-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 532 individuals from 76 households supported in 5 years, including 197 children
• +3 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Harpur TrustcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHarpur Trust has supported JustUs over the past years and is the primary partner for the Everyday Heroes Awards where JustUs was named partner charity alongside The Bedford Independent.
• The Bedford IndependentminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint partner with Harpur Trust for the Everyday Heroes Awards where JustUs was named partner charity.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• British Red Cross: The British Red Cross operates wider humanitarian programmes including homelessness support and refugee services, making it a broad-incumbent peer in the social services space where JustUs operates.
• Emmaus UK: Emmaus UK supports people out of homelessness through companion-based housing and work programmes, sharing JustUs's tenant-sustainment orientation but at a much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Shelter: Shelter is the UK's largest national homelessness charity, providing housing advice, advocacy, and legal services. It is the closest direct peer to JustUs at a national scale, though JustUs focuses on a single borough.
• Centrepoint: Centrepoint supports young people experiencing homelessness through housing and advocacy services, comparable to JustUs's work with families and vulnerable individuals in Bedford.
• Thames Reach: Thames Reach delivers front-line homelessness support and tenancy sustainment services in London, comparable to JustUs's combined advocacy plus 3-month floating support offering.
• Crisis UK: Crisis UK is a national homelessness charity focused on ending homelessness through research, advocacy, and direct services, sharing JustUs's Housing First-aligned philosophy and beneficiaries.
• Homeless Link: Homeless Link is the national membership body for homelessness charities in England, providing resources, training, and policy advocacy that mirror the professional-agency engagement JustUs pursues.
• St Mungo's: St Mungo's provides accommodation, recovery, and prevention services for people experiencing homelessness in London and the South, overlapping with JustUs's tenancy sustainment and advocacy model.
• Justlife Foundation: Justlife Foundation supports vulnerable people in temporary accommodation to move into settled homes, closely aligned with JustUs's housing-homelessness advocacy and tenancy sustainment focus.

Emerging players

• Pathway: Pathway improves healthcare for homeless people and advocates for system change, comparable to JustUs's advocacy-led approach to securing statutory rights for homeless individuals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/JustUsBedford
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/justusbedford

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 JustUs