SPEAR HOUSING ASSOCIATION LIMITED

Registered charity 1122206 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as SINGLE PERSON'S EMERGENCY ACCOMMODATION IN RICHMOND

SPEAR exists to enable homeless people in South and West London find secure accommodation. We develop and deliver solutions with community partners. We believe that homelessness isn't just a housing problem, it has a range of causes and is often an experience of isolation, hopelessness or self-doubt. That's why, beyond a roof overhead, we promote community involvement and personal development.

Causes: Education/training · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Accommodation/housing · Economic/community Development/employment · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£4.6m
Latest spending
£4.3m
Registered
2008
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net surplus of £290,314 for the year ended 31 March 2025, with total incoming resources of £4,627,799 and total expenditure of £4,337,485. Per the trustees' report, unrestricted general reserves totalled £2,293,538, representing approximately 6.3 months of expected average expenditure, which meets the charity's policy target of covering operational activities for a minimum of 3 months and ideally 6 months.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: three to six months of unrestricted expenditure (held: £2.3m)
“As reported in previous years, the Trustees are aiming at free reserves to cover operational activities from unrestricted income for a minimum of 3 months but ideally at 6 months.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Sayer Vincent LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — SPEAR (matched by registered charity number).

Property (HM Land Registry)

6 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (5 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Total income
£4.6m
Total spending
£4.3m
Cost of raising funds
£207k
Reserves (reported)
£4.7m
Employees
74

Reported reserves equal ~12.9 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (92% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 4.5% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Trustees · trustee networks

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Kingston Upon Thames · Merton · Richmond Upon Thames · Sutton · Tower Hamlets · Wandsworth

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/03/2025£4.6m£4.3m
31/03/2024£4.7m£4.4m
31/03/2023£5.2m£5.0m
31/03/2022£5.4m£5.2m
31/03/2021£5.2m£4.9m

Common questions

Is SPEAR HOUSING ASSOCIATION LIMITED financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net surplus of £290,314 for the year ended 31 March 2025, with total incoming resources of £4,627,799 and total expenditure of £4,337,485. Per the trustees' report, unrestricted general reserves totalled £2,293,538, representing approximately 6.3 months of expected average expenditure, which meets the charity's policy target of covering operational activities for a minimum of 3 months and ideally 6 months. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Sayer Vincent LLP.

Who funds SPEAR HOUSING ASSOCIATION LIMITED?

Funders whose own accounts filings name SPEAR HOUSING ASSOCIATION LIMITED as a grant recipient include HAMPTON FUEL ALLOTMENT, Richmond Foundation, THE WILLIAM ALLEN YOUNG CHARITABLE TRUST, WESTCOMBE FOUNDATION.

Shared trustees with funders

Register facts shown side by side: a person serves as trustee of both this charity and a funder whose accounts record grants to it. Shared trusteeship is lawful and common; well-run charities manage it through declared-interest procedures.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
HAMPTON FUEL ALLOTMENTFY2022£45kTwo salaries to provide intense training and employment support for 130 homeless people in our area of benefit and to recruit, train and support volunteers.
HAMPTON FUEL ALLOTMENTFY2023£45kTraining, volunteering and employment opportunities project supporting people who have experienced homelessness - salary costs
HAMPTON FUEL ALLOTMENTFY2025£35kContribution towards core costs including the Mental Health Access Worker project, the running costs of the Twickenham Hub and Director of Operations role.
Richmond FoundationFY2025£18kProject Grant
THE WILLIAM ALLEN YOUNG CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£5k
WESTCOMBE FOUNDATIONFY2024£250
WESTCOMBE FOUNDATIONFY2023£0

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

FunderDateAmountPurpose
The National Lottery Community Fund01/04/2026£921kHomeless Health Link Service
The National Lottery Community Fund30/11/2022£499kHomeless Heath Link Service
The National Lottery Community Fund24/06/2022£10kCare and Repair Programme
City Bridge Foundation22/11/2021£77kGrant to SPEAR Housing Association
The National Lottery Community Fund01/02/2019£497kHomeless Health Link Service - continuation project
City Bridge Foundation06/07/2018£93kGrant to SPEAR Housing Association
Greater London Authority03/04/2017£37kGrant to Spear
The National Lottery Community Fund22/02/2017£319kHomeless Health Link Service
The National Lottery Community Fund18/03/2010£5kTraining Room at Penny Wade House, a Hostel for the Homeless

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with RESURGO TRUST.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
SPEAR HOUSING ASSOCIATION LIMITED£4.6m——above—no doubt
RESURGO TRUST FY2025£3.2m£90,001 - £100,000—above—no doubt
SPEAR ISLINGTON TRUST FY2025£101k—0above—no doubt
SPRING HOUSING ASSOCIATION LIMITED FY2025£21.4m——unclear—no doubt
THE SPIRES CENTRE FY2025£802kUnder £60,0000unclear—no doubt
HOMELESS ACTION RESOURCE PROJECT FY2025£10.2m——unclear—no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.