The Shrewsbury Ark

What The Shrewsbury Ark does

The Shrewsbury Ark is a UK registered charity (Charity Number 1163476, legal name Shrewsbury Christian Centre Association) that operates a single day centre in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, providing free, person-centred support to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Founded in 1972 and operating from its own purchased premises at 32 Castle Foregate since February 2022, the day centre offers hot meals, bathroom and laundry facilities, a postal address, device charging, internet access, and on-site clinics (weekly GP, dental, Hep C, counselling, drug and alcohol, and mental health support), plus pathway services covering housing, benefits, employment, form-filling, addiction, and tenancy readiness. The organisation runs with 5 paid staff, 35+ volunteers, and a 10-trustee board, delivering 11,000 hot meals, 6,500 person-centred support hours, and 80 accommodation outcomes per year while supporting around 30 people per week.

The business model is purely donation- and grant-funded: The Shrewsbury Ark charges nothing for its services and receives no central government funding, relying on individual regular donors, corporate gifts (e.g., CMYUK, Hollywood Monster), seasonal campaigns such as the Winter Campaign, grant-making organisations, and revenue from a charity shop at 14 Castle Street. Annual day-centre running cost is approximately £350K, and the charity claims £1.5M in public-purse savings and a £6 social return per £1 donated. In May 2026, the charity joined KiP Telford and Stay to form the Partners for Change consortium, backed by a three-year National Lottery Community Fund grant from 1 September 2026, to extend coordinated homelessness support across Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin. There is no technology product, platform, or AI component; delivery is in-person via the day centre, supported by a Wix website, social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X), email newsletter, and event-driven fundraising (10K races, half marathons, sleepouts, online auctions).

Name

The Shrewsbury Ark

Legal name

Shrewsbury Christian Centre Association

Website

https://shrewsburyark.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Shrewsbury Ark is a Shrewsbury-based registered charity running a free day centre that delivers meals, facilities, on-site healthcare, and pathway support to homeless and vulnerable people across Shropshire. It is funded entirely by donations, grants, and a charity shop, with no central government funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

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

• Homeless day centre
• Rough sleeper support
• Humanitarian aid services
• Charity support programmes
• Community welfare services

Headquarters

HQ city

Shrewsbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Private Grants and Donations: The charity relies entirely on private grants and donations to fund operations. No central government funding is received. Donations come from individual regular donors, corporate partners, and grant-making organisations.
2. Winter Campaign Fundraising: Seasonal fundraising campaigns such as the Winter Campaign that raised over £250,000 in three months, supplemented by match funding from anonymous donors.
3. Corporate Donations: Support from local businesses like CMYUK and Hollywood Monster who make donations to support fundraising campaigns.
4. Charity Shop Revenue: Revenue from a charity shop at 14 Castle Street where donated items are sold, with proceeds supporting operations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Shrewsbury Ark runs a free day centre in Shrewsbury providing essential support services for homeless and vulnerable people, including hot meals, bathroom and laundry facilities, postal address, internet and device charging access, regular on-site GP and health clinics, and structured pathway support covering housing advice, benefits and employment guidance, form filling, addiction and mental health support, and tenancy readiness programmes. All services are delivered free of charge to clients, with the charity funded entirely by private grants, donations, and charity shop revenue.

Product overview

The Shrewsbury Ark operates a single unified service offering: the Ark Day Centre, which provides essential daytime support services for homeless and vulnerable people in Shrewsbury. The core offering includes basic facilities (bathrooms, laundry, meals, internet access, postal address) and person-centred support services. Additional modules include on-site healthcare through the GP Clinic, mental health and addiction support, housing and benefits guidance, and tenancy readiness programmes. The organization also participates in the Partners for Change county-wide partnership with KiP and Stay charities to deliver coordinated homelessness support across Shropshire.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 80 people supported into stable accommodation last year
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KiP TelfordcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026Partners for Change project - a major collaboration with KiP Telford and Stay to deliver county-wide homelessness support. National Lottery Community funded initiative enabling coordinated support across Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin.
• Stay (Telford and Wrekin)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026Partners for Change project - collaboration to provide consistent, coordinated support for people experiencing homelessness across the county, regardless of location. Shared case management and information-sharing arrangements.
• Healthwatch ShropshireminorOthersHealthwatch Shropshire conducted research at The Ark about how people experiencing rough sleeping access healthcare. Their report praised The Ark's GP clinic as an excellent example of multi-agency approach.
• Shropshire Council Rough Sleepers TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOn-site partnership providing housing support and advice to clients.
• Shropshire Council RESET TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOn-site partnership providing additional support services to clients.
• Local Food BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing food support services to clients in conjunction with the Food Hub life skills programme.
• Shropshire CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatutory partner working alongside the charity sector to enhance local homelessness response and bring services closer to those in need.
• CMYUKminorGTM or Marketing PartnerShrewsbury-based company that pledged a donation to support the Shrewsbury Ark's fundraising campaign.
• Hollywood MonsterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-time customer of CMYUK that rallied behind the Shrewsbury Ark appeal for local business contribution.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Depaul UK: UK charity supporting people who are homeless or at risk, particularly young people and families, through supported accommodation and prevention services. Overlapping model on housing outcomes and person-centred case management, with similar reliance on grants and donations.
• St Mungo's: UK charity supporting people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping across London and the South through hostels, recovery services, and outreach - directly comparable mission (homelessness support, housing outcomes, health/mental health services), but larger geography and residential portfolio.
• Centrepoint: Major UK charity providing accommodation, health services, and pathways support for homeless young people aged 16-25. Directly comparable as a homelessness charity delivering housing and person-centred support, but operating at national scale rather than a single local day centre.
• Glass Door Homeless Charity: UK charity coordinating a network of emergency shelters and winter night shelters with partner churches for people experiencing homelessness in London and surrounding areas. Comparable on direct homelessness support services and volunteer-driven delivery, though focused on overnight shelter rather than daytime pathways.
• The Passage: London-based day centre offering food, showers, clothing, healthcare, housing advice and onward support to people experiencing homelessness. Closely comparable as a single-location comprehensive day centre model, differing mainly in geography (London) and larger scale.
• Emmaus UK: Federation of UK communities supporting formerly homeless people through 'companions' living and working together. Comparable on the holistic recovery and supported-living mission, with a distinct residential/companion model.

Broad incumbents

• Crisis UK: National membership charity working to end homelessness through education, research, and year-round services. Overlaps with The Shrewsbury Ark on day-services and housing-readiness support, but operates as a national advocacy body with broader policy remit.
• YMCA England & Wales: Federated network providing supported housing, health and wellbeing programmes, and youth services across England and Wales. Overlaps on housing readiness, community health access and person-centred support, but at much greater scale and with an accommodation-led model.
• Shelter UK: National housing and homelessness charity providing advice, support, and legal services across England. Comparable on housing advice and benefits navigation - core services that The Ark also provides - but Shelter's scope spans the entire housing crisis, not just rough sleeping.

Others

• Homeless Link: National umbrella membership body for homelessness charities and housing services across England, providing training, research and sector representation. Not a direct competitor but a sector infrastructure peer - The Shrewsbury Ark would be a typical member organisation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/shrewsburyark
• Facebookfacebook.com/shrewsburyark
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shrewsbury-ark
• Instagraminstagram.com/shrewsburyark
• TikToktiktok.com/@shrewsburyark

Compliance1 record

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 The Shrewsbury Ark