HARP Southend's Homeless Charity

What HARP Southend's Homeless Charity does

HARP (Southend's Homeless Charity) is a registered charity (no. 1098126) and company limited by guarantee operating in Southend-on-Sea and the wider South Essex region of the United Kingdom. The organisation delivers a continuous service portfolio aimed at preventing and ending homelessness: a 365-day street outreach team, a day centre providing advice, hot meals, showers and clothing, six supported accommodation properties with capacity for 320+ people nightly, a 24-bed intensive support service, the Bluebird supported accommodation site, and the THRIVE recovery programme housed at Ann Terry House on Southend High Street. HARP also runs homelessness prevention advice and advocacy services, plus pet-friendly accommodation in partnership with the Dogs Trust Hope Project and clinical outreach clinics through Southend's Homeless Health Initiative. The organisation publicly reports supporting over 1,000 people each year, with 118 people moved into independent homes last year and 891 day centre beneficiaries.

The underlying technology stack is intentionally lean: a Salesforce-based In-Form CRM supports donor and service data management, complemented by Mailchimp for supporter communications, and standard tooling (Google, Microsoft, Wix) for web and productivity. There are no disclosed proprietary technology platforms, applications, or AI capabilities. HARP is a Registered Provider of Social Housing (no. 4742), positioning it within a regulated social housing framework that constrains new entrants.

The business model is donation-funded rather than commercial. Revenue streams include individual donations (including a £3/month regular giving programme), corporate partnerships (charity-of-the-year and employee engagement with Essex businesses), retail income from charity shops across Essex and Southend, challenge events such as HARP24 and the Hackney Half Marathon, a Make a Smile lottery, and in-kind campaigns such as Harvest (£55,000+ of food donated last year). Services to beneficiaries are provided free of charge. Operating efficiencies are publicly highlighted at 95–96p of every pound reaching the frontline. The organisation is led by CEO Vanessa Hemmings with a small executive team including a Director of Fundraising and Communications and a Director of Finance & HR, and is governed by trustees.

Name

HARP Southend's Homeless Charity

Legal name

HARP (Registered charity, number: 1098126. Company limited by Guarantee: 04566985)

Website

https://harpsouthend.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Short description

HARP is a registered UK charity providing housing, outreach, day centre services and recovery programmes to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness across South Essex, supporting 1,000+ beneficiaries annually and 320+ nightly beds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Homelessness Support Services

NAICS

Temporary Shelters (624221), Community Housing Services (62422), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

Keywords

• Homelessness support services
• Emergency accommodation
• Rough sleeping outreach
• Housing advice charity
• Supported housing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Southend-on-sea

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Public donations through online forms, emergency appeals, and regular giving (£3/month mentioned)
2. Corporate Partnerships: Charity of the year partnerships, employee volunteering, and workplace fundraising from businesses in Essex
3. Charity Shops: Pre-loved treasures sold through charity shops supporting operations across Essex and Southend
4. Challenge Events: HARP24, Hackney Half Marathon, and other fundraising events generating donations
5. Lottery: Make a Smile lottery for ongoing supporter engagement
6. Food Donations: Harvest campaign collecting food donations to support residents and reduce food costs

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HARP provides free, direct homelessness support services to individuals in South Essex, including 24/7 street outreach, emergency and transitional accommodation across six supported housing properties, a day centre offering hot meals, showers, clothing and advice, and homelessness prevention services. The charity also runs a network of charity shops across Essex and Southend that generate revenue through sale of donated pre-loved goods.

Product overview

HARP is South Essex's leading homelessness charity operating as a unified service portfolio focused on preventing and ending homelessness. The organization provides a continuum of support services including street outreach, emergency accommodation, a day centre, recovery programmes, and long-term housing solutions. Core services include the Outreach Team providing daily street contact, a Day Centre offering meals and practical support, and the intensive support accommodation services. The recently launched THRIVE recovery programme at Ann Terry House represents their newest service expansion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Outreach Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 118 people moved into their own homes last year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Southend's Homeless Health InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2026Partnership providing medical outreach clinics at Ann Terry House, helping people experiencing homelessness access healthcare they might otherwise struggle to reach.
• Hand on HeartminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 December 2024Charity providing backpack donations to HARP residents through collaborative community partnership.
• Dogs Trust Hope ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to welcome dogs at HARP, recognising that many homeless individuals have pets and need accommodation that allows them. Dogs Trust provides support for pet owners facing homelessness.
• Local Businesses (stakeholder event)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal businesses invited to stakeholder open events to learn about HARP's work and potentially partner.
• BluebirdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported accommodation project that won RIBA East Awards. HARP residents hosted Archbishop at Bluebird opening event. Demonstrates high-quality housing design partnership.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Thames Reach: London-focused charity supporting people out of homelessness through outreach, accommodation, and recovery services. Operationally comparable but geographically separate from HARP's South Essex footprint.
• Glass Door Homeless Charity: London-based charity providing emergency accommodation and support during winter months for people sleeping rough. Comparable emergency-shelter and partnership-driven model, but operates in a different region.
• The Passage: London homelessness charity offering day centre services, outreach, and supported move-on. Directly comparable day-centre and outreach delivery model, though London-based rather than South Essex.

Broad incumbents

• Shelter: UK's largest housing and homelessness charity, providing advice, campaigning, and some direct services. Comparable in homelessness prevention and advice services; broader in policy and national scope than HARP.
• YMCA England & Wales: Large national federation providing supported housing, health and wellbeing, and training for vulnerable groups including those at risk of homelessness. Comparable supported-accommodation services across a much broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Centrepoint: National UK charity providing accommodation, support, and training for young people experiencing homelessness. Directly comparable operating model (emergency accommodation + supported housing + move-on services) and similar donation- and corporate-partnership-driven funding mix.
• St Mungo's: London-based charity providing outreach, emergency accommodation, recovery, and move-on housing for people experiencing homelessness. Closely comparable service continuum and 24/7 outreach model.
• Emmaus UK: Federation of UK communities providing supported accommodation, training, and social enterprise work for people who have experienced homelessness. Comparable supported-housing and move-on model.
• Depaul UK: UK charity supporting young people and adults facing homelessness and disadvantage through accommodation, prevention, and outreach. Comparable frontline delivery model with regional operating footprint.
• Crisis UK: National membership charity working to end homelessness through year-round services, education, and research. Directly comparable mission and service portfolio (accommodation, advice, recovery support, move-on) though operating at national scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@HARPHomelessness
• Facebookfacebook.com/HARPHomelessness
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harphomelessness
• Instagraminstagram.com/harphomelessness

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 HARP Southend's Homeless Charity