Shining light on Cambridge Cyrenians

Who are they? 

Cambridge Cyrenians is a local charity working to prevent and relieve homelessness in Cambridge. For over 55 years, they have provided safe, stable homes and specialist support to people who are homeless or at risk of losing their home.

They believe that everyone deserves a place where they feel safe, respected and supported. That’s why they focus on providing real homes – not hostels – alongside practical and emotional support that helps people rebuild their lives.

They support over 200 people each year through a range of accommodation and specialist services. This includes housing for people in immediate need, longer-term homes for those working towards independence, and specialist support for older people, people leaving prison, female-only accommodation, a dedicated mental health service, a ‘meaningful activities’ project that encourages skills building, job opportunities and all that’s needed to build a fresh start, as well as a beautiful six-plot community allotment with twice-weekly sessions.

Highlights and achievements

• Establishing their Art Collab group, providing weekly sessions for people experiencing homelessness, with residents from Cambridge Cyrenians and other local homelessness organisations, and support from local businesses such as The Museum of Cambridge. Their latest session involved some beautiful flower arranging!
• They offer about 1/3 of supported accommodation across Cambridge city, making us one of the largest supporting housing providers.
• A huge congratulations to their four runners at March’s Cambridge Half Marathon – between them, they were able to raise over £2,720. They are planning to run again in March 2027, if anyone is interested in a place and would be happy to raise money for Cambridge Cyrenians, please get in touch.
• They’ve had a lot of kind support from local businesses. This year alone, they’ve benefitted from a carpet refitting and bathroom redecorating in one of their supported houses, beautifully scented bath products and toiletries, seeds and plant pots for their allotment, new digital devices (laptops and mobile phones) for our residents, toasty thermal socks, supplies for their Art Collab group, furniture for their office and houses, donation of food and drink. This past quarter, it has saved them on average £9,007.98 – they cannot do the work they do without the support of local businesses, so thank you! If anyone is interested in supporting Cambridge Cyrenians, please contact office@cambridgecyrenians.org.uk.
• Keep an eye out for them in the local community – we’re hoping to have presence at Cambridge Pride and Mill Road Winter Fair for starters in 2026.
• We developed our first fundraising pack, packed full of fundraising inspiration, case studies and stats.
• Their new website launched in January 2026, click here to view it.

Some stats from 2025:

• 140 people were given safety and stability in Cambridge Cyrenians supported accommodation.
• 46 people were supported by their Mental Health Service, with 370 hours of counselling provided by their amazing volunteer counsellors.
• 29 people moved into more permanent/suitable accommodation.
• 56 people received ongoing support in the Cambridge Cyrenians Older Homeless Service in 2025. These are all individuals they are continuing to have direct contact with.
• 18 people found peace, friendship and growth in Cambridge Cyrenians twice-weekly allotment sessions.
• In 2025, people took 197 steps towards brighter futures with Cambridge Cyrenians’ ‘Meaningful Activities’ project – engaging in work, education and volunteering. Many embraced more than one opportunity, building confidence and purpose along the way.
• Cambridge Cyrenians reached over 100,000 people across our social media channels and welcomed over 850 new people to our community!