Our organisation has been part of Liverpool’s story since 1846.

At that time, the city was expanding rapidly through trade and migration as thousands of people arrived searching for opportunity. Yet poverty, overcrowded housing and limited access to education were widespread.

In response to these challenges, the City of Liverpool Young Men’s Christian Association was established to offer sanctuary, practical help and community support to people experiencing hardship. The movement itself had begun in London two years earlier, but Liverpool quickly developed its own identity and role within the growing organisation.

In 1877, the organisation opened its first purpose built building on Mount Pleasant, providing accommodation for people experiencing homelessness alongside education and training opportunities designed to help people rebuild their lives.

As the city changed, the organisation continued to adapt. It supported migrants arriving through the docks, provided youth clubs and community spaces, and remained a place where people facing hardship could find practical help and stability.

During both World Wars services continued despite buildings being requisitioned and resources stretched. Across those years thousands of volunteers delivered meals, shelter and support to families and dockworkers across the city.

Supported accommodation remained central to the organisation’s work in the decades that followed and in 2007, a new centre opened on Leeds Street, providing modern accommodation and support for people experiencing homelessness.

In the years since, services have expanded across homelessness support, domestic abuse refuges, drug and alcohol recovery and mental health provision across the Liverpool City Region.

Facilities such as Dutch Farm have created opportunities for education, training and wellbeing, while specialist services now support hundreds of people each year.

In 2021, services across Liverpool, Sefton and Knowsley came together under the name YMCA Together, bringing a range of support services under one organisation. And just three years later, the organisation received one of the city’s highest civic honours when Liverpool City Council admitted YMCA Together to the Freedom Roll of Associations and Institutions.

While the context has changed many times since 1846, the purpose behind the work has remained constant.

The people we support have always been, and will always remain, at the heart of everything we do.