MACS Supporting Young People

What MACS Supporting Young People does

MACS Supporting Young People (legal name MACS Supporting Children & Young People, Charity Number NIC100923, Company Limited by Guarantee NI044482) is Northern Ireland's only youth-specific homelessness charity, founded in 1990 as Friends of Willowfield and renamed via Mulholland Aftercare Services in 1996 and to its current name in 2015. It serves young people aged 11-25 who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, leaving care, in or leaving prison, identifying as LGBTQIA+, or struggling with mental health, alongside an early-intervention cohort aged 8-13. Core services comprise Supported Housing (self-contained 24/7 staffed flats in Belfast, Lisburn, Downpatrick and Newry for up to two years), Floating Support (mobile outreach to young people in their own homes), a Shared Tenancy Project with the NI Housing Executive, a Prison Resettlement Service, the Thrive+ therapeutic support service, the Upstream school-based prevention programme (delivered as part of a four-nation partnership with Llamau, Centrepoint and Rock Trust), and Space to Grow early help for 8-13 year olds. Supporting infrastructure is limited to conventional SaaS: an encrypted SPIN case management database, Mailchimp for newsletters, and Google Analytics for web insight, with no app, API, or proprietary platform. Revenue comes from a mix of statutory grants (Supporting People/NI Housing Executive, Belfast Health & Social Care Trust, South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust, HSC Public Health Agency), trust and foundation grants (Big Lottery Community Fund, BBC Children in Need, The Health Foundation, Impact on Urban Health, B&Q Foundation), corporate sponsorship, and individual donations; services are delivered free to young people.

Name

MACS Supporting Young People

Legal name

MACS Supporting Children & Young People

Website

https://macsni.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Short description

MACS Supporting Young People is Northern Ireland's only youth-specific homelessness charity, delivering supported housing, floating support, prison resettlement, therapeutic, and school-based prevention services to over 750 young people aged 11-25 each year, funded by statutory grants, trust and foundation awards, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Homelessness Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Child and Youth Services (62411), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Homeless, Foster Care & Highly Mobile Youth Education Services (EDAJAEAG), Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM), Wraparound Student Support & Case Management Services (At-Risk K–12) (EDAJAEAJ)

Keywords

• Youth homelessness services
• Supported housing
• Floating support services
• Youth mental health support
• Homelessness charity

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Grants & Public Funding: Primary funding from government bodies including Supporting People (NI Housing Executive), Belfast Health & Social Care Trust, South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust, and HSC Public Health Agency. These statutory funders provide recurring grants for service delivery.
2. Trust & Foundation Grants: Major grants from Big Lottery Community Fund, BBC Children in Need, The Health Foundation, Impact on Urban Health, B&Q Foundation, and Building Change Trust for specific programmes and capital improvements.
3. Corporate Sponsorship: Businesses support MACS through corporate sponsorship and fundraising partnerships. Examples include Portadown & Kier Group tractor run fundraiser.
4. Individual Donations & Fundraising: Individual donations through Enthuse platform, challenge events (abseils, marathons, skydives, Sleep Outs), community fundraising events, and general public donations. The Take the Plunge campaign asks supporters to complete 8 cold water dips in June with sponsorship.
5. Social Enterprise / Fee-for-Service: Some services funded through contracted arrangements with health and social care trusts, with payment tied to outcomes and service delivery metrics.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

MACS is Northern Ireland's only youth-specific homelessness charity, delivering a portfolio of free, direct support services for young people aged 11-25. Core offerings include 24/7 Supported Housing in self-contained flats, mobile Floating Support, a Shared Tenancy Project, Prison Resettlement, the Thrive+ therapeutic mental-health service, the school-based Upstream prevention programme, and the Space to Grow early-intervention service for children aged 8-13, all framed by an organisational trauma-informed practice approach.

Product overview

MACS Supporting Young People is Northern Ireland's only youth-specific homelessness charity offering a portfolio of interconnected services for young people aged 11-25. The core offering consists of Supported Housing (self-contained 24/7 staffed accommodation), Floating Support (mobile support service reaching young people wherever they are), Shared Tenancy Project (shared living preparation), and Prison Resettlement Service. These are complemented by specialized modules: Thrive+ (enhanced therapeutic mental health support), Upstream (school-based early intervention prevention programme), Space to Grow (early help for children aged 8-13), and Led By You (youth participation initiative). The services work together to provide a continuum of support from early intervention through to independent living, united by a trauma-informed approach and shared values of empowerment and dignity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Upstream: A four-nation partnership programme focusing on preventing youth homelessness through earlier identification and intervention in schools.
• Thrive+
• Space to Grow

Products and services

• Supported Housing Self-contained flats for young people aged 16-21 who are leaving care or homeless, offering up to two years of accommodation with 24/7 staff support across Belfast (18 flats with Radius Housing Association), Lisburn (7 flats with Choice Housing Association), Downpatrick (2 assessment beds) and Newry (6 one-bedroom flats plus 2 emergency assessment flats for 16-17 year olds with Clanmil Housing).
• Floating Support Mobile support service for young people aged 16-25 provided in their own homes across Belfast (North, South, East, West), Lisburn (Colin, Dundonald, Lisburn), Downpatrick area and Newry area, with support available for up to two years covering accommodation, life skills, mental health, education and employment.
• Shared Tenancy Project Partnership with the NI Housing Executive and Supporting People helping young people aged 18-25 at risk of homelessness find suitable housemates and prepare for shared living through the Tenancy Ready Programme; referrals via [email protected].
• Prison Resettlement Service Direct support for young people aged 16-25 preparing for release from or at risk of homelessness upon leaving prison, providing housing assistance, emotional support, employment help and money/benefits advice to support positive community reintegration and prevent reoffending.
• Thrive+ Support Service Enhanced therapeutic support service for young people aged 16-25 experiencing mental health and emotional wellbeing needs alongside housing instability, providing structured one-to-one and group therapeutic intervention in the South Eastern Trust area (Downpatrick, Lisburn, Newcastle), accessed via self-referral or professional referral.
• Upstream Prevention Programme School-based early intervention and prevention programme delivered by MACS in NI through the Upstream UK consortium (Llamau, Centrepoint, Rock Trust), working with secondary schools, families and local partners to identify young people at risk of homelessness and provide family mediation, emotional wellbeing support and connections to local services before problems escalate.
• Space to Grow Free early-help service for children aged 8-13 across the UK nations who are struggling with emotional health and wellbeing, providing one-to-one interventions, workshops and online resources for children and their parents/carers.
• Wellbeing Support Mental health and emotional wellbeing services for young people aged 11-25 integrated across all MACS services, complementing the dedicated Thrive+ therapeutic support service.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 750 young people supported annually to avoid or move on from homelessness
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Upstream UK (Llamau, Centrepoint, Rock Trust)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMACS delivers Upstream UK in Northern Ireland as part of a four-nation partnership chaired by Llamau with Centrepoint and Rock Trust. Upstream is a school-based prevention programme using evidence-based screening to identify hidden risk, providing family mediation, emotional wellbeing support, and connections to local services. Has grown from 1 school to 37 schools across the UK in just over 4 years, achieving 98% of young people remaining safely at home and 85% of families achieving wellbeing goals. Won Homeless Link Excellence Award for Best Partnership in 2026.
• Radius Housing AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing 18 one-bedroom self-contained supported housing flats in Belfast for young people aged 16-21 leaving care or facing homelessness.
• Choice Housing AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing 7 one-bedroom self-contained supported housing flats in Lisburn for young people aged 16-21 leaving care or facing homelessness.
• Clanmil Housing AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing 6 one-bedroom supported housing flats plus 2 emergency assessment flats for 16-17 year olds in Newry.
• Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Shared Tenancy Project with NIHE and Supporting People, helping young people aged 18-25 at risk of homelessness find suitable housemates. Also provides the primary referral pathway for young people needing emergency accommodation (0344 8920 900/908).
• Supporting PeoplecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding and regulatory partner for the Shared Tenancy Project alongside NIHE. Provides quality assessment framework (QAF) for supported housing services.
• Learning in Harmony and DonkeysminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivers equine therapy sessions for MACS young people in a calm and supportive environment. Partnership creating safe experiences where young people can learn, grow, and develop through horse/donkey interactions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Action for Children: UK charity supporting children, young people and families, including leaving-care and young people's housing services. Comparable service portfolio for care-experienced 16-21 year olds with national UK scale.
• Crisis UK: National homelessness charity working across the UK to end homelessness, including specific youth programmes. Operates a broader remit than MACS but overlaps on supported housing and prevention for young people.
• Shelter Northern Ireland: UK housing and homelessness charity with NI operations providing housing advice, advocacy and supported services. Adjacent to MACS in NI's housing ecosystem, with overlapping referral pathways through NIHE.
• Barnardo's Northern Ireland: Large UK children's charity with significant NI operations supporting care-experienced young people, including helplines and leaving-care services. Andrew Tubman, MACS Board Member, is Assistant Director for Barnardo's NI Helplines, indicating close sectoral overlap.

Direct peers

• Rock Trust: Scotland's youth homelessness charity supporting 16-25 year olds through housing and prevention programmes. Fourth Upstream UK partner alongside MACS, with a directly comparable supported housing and prevention model.
• Llamau: Wales's leading youth homelessness charity providing accommodation and support for young people. Chairs the Upstream UK four-nation partnership with MACS, Centrepoint and Rock Trust, delivering near-identical school-based prevention work.
• Depaul International: Charity supporting homeless and disadvantaged people across the UK and Ireland, including youth-focused accommodation and resettlement services. Highly comparable service portfolio including supported housing and move-on support.
• Centrepoint: UK-wide charity supporting young people experiencing homelessness through housing, learning and wellbeing programmes. Direct Upstream UK partner alongside MACS and operates a closely aligned model including supported housing and prevention in schools.
• Simon Community Northern Ireland: NI's broader homelessness charity supporting adults and young people across NI. Operates in the same NI geography as MACS with overlapping supported accommodation and floating support services, though not youth-exclusive.

Regional players

• Homegroup Northern Ireland: UK-wide housing association providing supported housing and homelessness services including in NI. Comparable operating model through supported accommodation partnerships, with MACS partnering with housing associations including Radius, Choice and Clanmil for stock.

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/macsni
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMR8r5-z4WSd0Ql4NgFC3WQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/macsni
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/macs-supporting-young-people
• Instagraminstagram.com/macsni

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 MACS Supporting Young People