What YMCA Liverpool & Sefton does

You Matter (formerly Hope and Homes), the operating brand of YMCA Liverpool & Sefton, is a UK-registered charity (Charity No: 210443; Company No: 560870) providing community-based support services across the Liverpool City Region, with a recent expansion into Halton. Founded in 1846 and headquartered at 157 Regent Road, Liverpool, the organization directly delivers five core service lines: homelessness support (housing-led accommodation), drug and alcohol recovery, domestic abuse refuge and Steps to Sanctuary, mental health support, and professional development for sector practitioners. Services are free at point of access and targeted at individuals facing overlapping vulnerabilities — homelessness, addiction, domestic abuse, and mental health challenges — under a stated philosophy of "starting with listening" and treating issues as interconnected rather than isolated.

The organization operates with a lean team of 49 employees and runs a community-led go-to-market model that combines self-referral, professional referrals from social services, healthcare, and police, and direct community outreach. Its revenue model is donation- and grant-funded, supplemented by a corporate partnership program and a "Use Our Space" facility offering. The digital hub is you-matter.org.uk, designed and managed by Yogi Design Ltd, functioning primarily as an awareness, referral, and fundraising channel rather than a technology platform. No proprietary technology, AI/ML capability, or commercial product is disclosed; the value proposition is grounded in 180 years of local presence, referral network depth, and an integrated service model.

Commercially, the organization is a non-profit with no funding rounds, parent company, or M&A activity disclosed. Strategic activity is concentrated in service-line breadth and geographic expansion (notably into Halton), with brand consolidation under the "You Matter" identity and ongoing content marketing through publications, personal stories, and impact reports to support fundraising and beneficiary acquisition.

Name

YMCA Liverpool & Sefton

Legal name

You Matter

Website

https://liverpoolymca.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1846

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

You Matter, the operating brand of YMCA Liverpool & Sefton, is a UK charity founded in 1846 delivering free homelessness, addiction, domestic abuse, and mental health support services to vulnerable individuals across the Liverpool City Region, with recent expansion into Halton.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Funding and Donations: As a registered charity (Charity No: 210443), the organization relies on charitable donations, grants, and public funding to support its operations. The website includes a 'Support Us' section with options for corporate support and community contributions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

YMCA Liverpool & Sefton, trading as You Matter, is a registered charity delivering a coordinated suite of free, person-centred support services across the Liverpool City Region. Its core offerings include Homelessness Support (housing-led accommodation), Drug & Alcohol Support (psychologically informed recovery pathways), Domestic Abuse Support (refuge accommodation and Steps to Sanctuary), and Mental Health Support. A Professional Development programme additionally supports practitioners across these sectors.

Product overview

You Matter (Hope & Homes in the Liverpool City Region), operating since 1846 under YMCA Liverpool & Sefton, is a charitable organization providing a coordinated suite of support services. The core portfolio consists of four integrated service areas: Homelessness Support (housing-led accommodation), Drug & Alcohol Support (recovery pathways), Domestic Abuse Support (refuge and Steps to Sanctuary), and Mental Health Support. Additionally, Professional Development services are offered to sector practitioners. These services address complex, often overlapping issues including homelessness, addiction, domestic abuse, and mental health challenges, operating on a philosophy of starting with listening and guiding individuals to rediscover their strengths. The organization recently expanded its Homelessness Support Services into Halton.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Homelessness Support

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Yogi Design LtdminorOthersWebsite design, development and management vendor. Responsible for the design, development and ongoing management of the you-matter.org.uk website platform.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Shelter: National UK housing and homelessness charity providing advice, support, and campaigning. Operates broadly across housing rather than focusing narrowly on You Matter's housing-led accommodation model.
• Women's Aid: National federation of domestic abuse support services across the UK, coordinating refuge provision and policy work. Comparable in domestic abuse service category, with a federation model rather than direct local delivery.
• YMCA England & Wales: National umbrella body for the YMCA federation in England and Wales, delivering housing, health, and youth services across the country. Brand and methodology parent of YMCA Liverpool & Sefton, providing scale, brand standards, and policy advocacy that the local chapter benefits from.
• Mind: UK's leading mental health charity providing information, support, and advocacy across local Mind associations. Broad incumbent in the same mental health service category as You Matter, with significantly larger scale and brand recognition.

Direct peers

• Refuge (UK): UK's largest specialist domestic abuse charity, providing refuge accommodation and support services. Directly comparable to You Matter's domestic abuse support and Steps to Sanctuary offering, though operating at national scale.
• Crisis UK: National UK charity focused on ending homelessness through housing-led support, advice, and education. Directly comparable to You Matter's homelessness service line, with a much larger scale and policy influence.
• Centrepoint: UK charity supporting homeless young people with housing, health, and employability services. Comparable in housing-led support methodology and target population vulnerability profile, though focused on the 16-24 age band.
• Whitechapel Centre: Liverpool-based homelessness charity providing housing-led support, rough-sleeper outreach, and accommodation services. Direct geographic and service-line overlap with You Matter's homelessness and complex-needs work in the Liverpool City Region.
• We Are With You (formerly Addaction): UK-wide charity providing free, confidential drug and alcohol support including psychologically informed recovery pathways. Directly comparable to You Matter's drug and alcohol service line, with national reach and digital service channels.

Others

• Riverside Housing: Large UK housing association providing supported housing, homelessness services, and care pathways for vulnerable adults. Adjacent provider operating in similar supported-housing space, often competing for the same local-authorary contracts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ymca-liverpool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 YMCA Liverpool & Sefton