The Living Room
The Living Room is a Hertfordshire-based charity providing free, daily peer-led group therapy and recovery support to adults affected by addiction, funded by donations, a single charity shop in Stevenage, and fundraising events.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersStevenage, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Living Room does
The Living Room is a registered charity (CIO number 1175541) operating in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, that delivers free, daily group therapy and peer-led recovery support to adults affected by addiction. Its core service is in-person group therapy delivered from its Stevenage headquarters, supplemented by structured recovery programs averaging 10 months, dedicated support services for families, friends and carers, and The Living Room Academy, which provides talks and workshops. The organization reports a 60% success rate for treating alcohol addiction against a national average of 33%, at a stated cost of £2,595 per successfully treated service user, treating 454 adults and children in 2018/19.
The Living Room is funded through three revenue streams: charitable donations from individuals, corporations and grant-makers; retail revenue from a single charity shop in Stevenage (originally opened as Revival in Hitchin in June 2006 and later consolidated into Stevenage); and fundraising events such as the Hertfordshire Half Marathon and 10k. Its go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on word-of-mouth, professional referrals, self-referral via the website, and event-based outreach. The charity distributes content through Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube, an email newsletter, and a Recovery Diaries blog platform, although service delivery itself is restricted to Hertfordshire.
The Living Room employs 77 staff and holds the Charity Excellence Quality Mark, Disability Confident Committed status, Fundraising Regulator membership, and a Valuing Volunteer Management recognition. The Box Breathing Tool, created by Watford counsellor Yousef Kira Durrani and hosted on the charity's website, is the only disclosed digital wellness product; there is no proprietary software platform, no AI/ML capability, and no parent company. The organization is privately operated as a non-profit with no external investment, private equity, or venture capital ownership indicated.
The Living Room firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Living Room
- Legal name
- The Living Room
- Website
- https://livingroomherts.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Living Room is a Hertfordshire-based charity providing free, daily peer-led group therapy and recovery support to adults affected by addiction, funded by donations, a single charity shop in Stevenage, and fundraising events.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Living Room industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Addiction Recovery Services
- NAICS
- Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Substance Use Prevention & Recovery Services (EDALAFAE)
Keywords
Where The Living Room is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stevenage
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
The Living Room business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations: Charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and grant-making organizations supporting addiction recovery services in Hertfordshire.
- Charity Shop Operations: Revenue generated from The Living Room Charity Shop, originally opened as Revival in Hitchin in 2006, now in Stevenage. The shop raises essential funds for supporting people with addictions.
- Fundraising Events: Events such as the Hertfordshire Half Marathon and 10k that generate donations and awareness for the charity.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Free | Free addiction treatment services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Living Room product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Living Room provides free, daily group therapy sessions for adults in Hertfordshire affected by addiction, alongside peer-led recovery support from people who have personally been through recovery. The offering is supplemented by The Living Room Academy (educational talks and workshops), dedicated support services for families, friends and carers, the Box Breathing Tool wellness resource, and the Recovery Diaries content platform.
Product overview
The Living Room is a single unified charity offering addiction recovery services for adults in Hertfordshire. The core offering comprises free daily group therapy sessions, supplemented by The Living Room Academy (educational talks and workshops), and dedicated support services for family members and carers. Additional offerings include a Box Breathing Tool wellness resource and Recovery Diaries content platform. The organization also operates a charity shop social enterprise to raise funds for its mission.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Group Therapy Sessions Free, daily group therapy sessions supporting adults in Hertfordshire to break free from addiction and rebuild their lives, delivered alongside people who have been through recovery themselves.
- Family, Friends and Carers Support
- The Living Room Academy
- The Living Room Charity Shop Charity retail operation raising funds for addiction support services while serving the Hertfordshire community.
- Box Breathing Tool
Quantifiable outcome
- 60% success rate for treating clients suffering with alcohol addiction (compared to national average of 33%)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Living Room
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Living Room technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
The Living Room partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Yousef Kira Durrani (Watford Counsellor)minorWatford Counsellor who created the Box Breathing Tool, a structured breathing technique for managing anxiety, stress, and emotional discomfort. The tool is hosted on safespaceconnection.com and promoted by The Living Room as part of their wellness resources.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Living Room competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Change Grow Live: One of the UK's largest substance-use charities delivering free recovery services, group work, and peer support across multiple counties. Directly comparable to The Living Room in service model and target population, but at significantly greater scale and contract footprint.
- Phoenix Futures: UK charity specializing in drug and alcohol recovery, including residential rehabilitation and community-based aftercare. Comparable to The Living Room in mission and peer-support ethos, with additional residential capacity The Living Room does not offer.
- Cranstoun: UK charity delivering substance use, domestic abuse, and criminal justice services, with a strong community-recovery orientation. Directly comparable peer given its peer-led group work and free-to-user community programs.
- Humankind: North England-based charity providing alcohol and drug treatment, housing, and family support services. Closely comparable mission and free community-recovery model, though operating in a different geographic region than The Living Room.
- Recovery Focus: UK charity providing recovery-oriented services for people affected by addiction, mental ill-health, and offending. Shares the community-led, peer-support methodology that distinguishes The Living Room.
- We Are With You: National UK charity providing free, confidential support to people with drug, alcohol, and mental health issues. Closely aligned with The Living Room's mission, free-service model, and community-led delivery, with comparable group-therapy and peer-support offerings.
- The Forward Trust: UK charity delivering substance use treatment, recovery housing, and employment support. Compares to The Living Room on addiction recovery services and community re-entry focus, with additional residential and employability programming.
- SMART Recovery UK: UK provider of mutual-support groups and self-help tools for people recovering from addictive behaviors. Comparable peer in the community-based, peer-led recovery space, with a more explicit self-management/technology toolkit orientation.
Broad incumbents
- Turning Point: Large UK social enterprise providing substance use, mental health, and learning disability services across England. Overlaps with The Living Room on adult addiction recovery but operates at national scale with a much broader service portfolio including residential and clinical settings.
- Alcoholics Anonymous (UK): Long-established peer-led mutual aid fellowship supporting recovery from alcohol addiction. Overlaps strongly with The Living Room's peer-support approach but operates as an unpaid fellowship model rather than a staffed charity.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Living Room social profiles
Digital presenceThe Living Room financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Living Room leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Living Room funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Living Room M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Living Room
What does The Living Room do?
The Living Room provides free, daily group therapy sessions for adults in Hertfordshire affected by addiction, alongside peer-led recovery support from people who have personally been through recovery. The offering is supplemented by The Living Room Academy (educational talks and workshops), dedicated support services for families, friends and carers, the Box Breathing Tool wellness resource, and the Recovery Diaries content platform.
Is The Living Room a public or private company?
The Living Room is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Living Room founded?
The Living Room was founded in 2006. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is The Living Room based?
The Living Room is headquartered in Stevenage, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Living Room make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are charity Shop Operations and fundraising Events.
Who are The Living Room's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Change Grow Live, Phoenix Futures, Cranstoun, Humankind, Recovery Focus, We Are With You, The Forward Trust and SMART Recovery UK. Broad incumbents are Turning Point and Alcoholics Anonymous (UK).
Does The Living Room have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Living Room.
What industry is The Living Room in?
The Living Room's product category is Addiction Recovery Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAFACAN, Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services, with a secondary code of EDALAFAE, Substance Use Prevention & Recovery Services. Its NAICS code is 621420 and its SIC code is 8300.