Founder & Managing Director, Diverse Services
I started Diverse Services in 2022 with one home, no investors and a lot of people telling me I was too young. I'd like to tell you why I did it, what keeps me going, and where we're heading. It's a bit like the conversation we'd have if you came and sat with us over a cup of tea.
I grew up in Hayes. Most of my family were just down the road in Southall, and I went to school in Heston. These are the same West London streets and communities we support people in today. When I drive between our homes, I'm driving past places I've known all my life.
They weren't easy places to grow up. Drug and alcohol misuse was all around us, and I saw what it did to people: to their health, their families and their futures. I saw it in our own Punjabi community too, here in West London, back home in Punjab, and in Punjabi communities around the world. Too often, nobody talked about it, and people were left to struggle on their own.
My family did so much to make sure we were brought up well, whatever was in front of us. I'll always be grateful for that.
School meant catching two buses every morning, an hour and twenty minutes on the road there and back. Education was never my strong point, and not everyone expected much of me. I did what my parents wanted and got my degree. But deep down I always knew my future was running my own business and being my own boss.
I am a Sikh. A proud Sikh. I've never toned that down for anyone, and I never will.
Seva, selfless service, is at the heart of Sikhi. It was instilled in me by my parents, my grandparents and my whole family. Serve your community. Stand up for the people who need it most. Never just help someone get by. Give them the opportunity to rise and prosper.
That is why Diverse Services exists.
I've seen what the opposite looks like: people kept safe but going nowhere, people written off, and families told that's just how it is. I refuse to accept it.
So this is what seva means to me, and this is how I'm going to change the industry:
Seva isn't charity. It's opportunity. And it isn't something you do once. It's how you live, every single day.
“I'm a proud Sikh. Seva was instilled in me by my parents, my grandparents and my family: serve your community, stand up for those who need it most, and give them the chance to rise. That isn't a slogan. It's how I'm going to change this industry.”
I started support work at 18, part-time. Those early shifts taught me more than any course could. I learned what it means to someone when you turn up, when you listen, and when you remember the small things that matter to them.
At the same time I worked in my uncle's business, and he taught me how a business really works. He showed me how to treat people properly, how to back your staff, and how to focus on what actually needs doing. He was humble, he was generous with his time, and he was always there when I needed him. I still try to lead the way he did.
Year after year, on shift after shift, I saw the same thing: people stuck.
I met people who had lived in the same service for years with no plan to move on. Others were ready for less support but had nowhere to step down to. Too many services were paid to keep people safe and occupied rather than help them move forward. And then there was the revolving door: people moved on too quickly, who ended up back in crisis or back in hospital.
Things have got harder since then. People are leaving hospital earlier, and community services are being asked to support needs that, not long ago, would have been met on a ward. That needs a specialist team and a real plan, not just a room.
“Nobody chooses to be stuck. Most of the time, the system just doesn't give people anywhere to go.”
I had ideas for this sector, and bigger plans to develop it. But working inside an industry that felt stale held back my imagination, my drive and my determination. So in 2022 I took a leap of faith and became my own boss.
When I told people, they said I was too young. They said you can't change a sector with no money, no funding and nobody behind you. I heard every cliché going.
So I started small. Our first home was Maple House, in Hammersmith & Fulham. There were no investors and no loans. I did every job myself: shifts, paperwork, referrals, fixing what needed fixing. Then a commissioner took a chance on a new provider and sent us our first referral. I've never forgotten that. Everything we've built since has grown from that one act of trust. From five beds in 2022, we now have up to 114 beds.
It was the greatest decision I've ever made.
Taking that leap gave me more than a company. I've built this business with my wife beside me. We've welcomed our first child, and I've been there to watch her grow up, not an absent father working someone else's hours. I get to be the dad I want to be and make a real difference for the people we support. I don't have to choose.
People ask me what the best part of the job is. It's never the big announcements. It's the small moments:
Someone we've supported picking up the keys to their own flat.
Someone cooking a meal for themselves for the first time, and being proud of it.
A support worker who joined us on the frontline growing into a team leader, then a manager.
A mum, a dad or a sibling taking the time to say thank you.
Becoming a dad has changed how I hear those calls from families. When a family rings us worried about someone they love, I think about how I'd feel in their place. That's how I want every family to be treated.
When people do well and reach goals they set for themselves, I absolutely love it. That's why we do this.
“It's never the big announcements. It's someone getting the keys to their own front door.”
On a tough day, two things keep me going: my team, and seeing people move forward.
Most of my week now goes on what's next. That means building new services, finding better ways of working, and working out how we can help the sector, not just ourselves. What we've built so far:
In ten years, I want the changes I'm fighting for to be normal across supported living: every person referred has a clear route to their own front door, commissioning pays for progress and quality, support work is a respected profession, and modern, evidence-led, digital services are the standard, not the exception.
This is our part in getting there:
Make a referral online. Our median time from referral to assessment is 3 days.
Thinking of joining us?See our roles. Many of our managers started on the frontline.
Providers, partners and pressI'm always happy to talk. Email info@diverseservices.co.uk and mark it "For Sukhbir".
FamiliesIf someone you love is supported by us, they are known by name here. Contact us.
Looking for support for someone you love? Tell us a little about them and we'll get back to you. Professionals can also make a full referral online.
Sukhbir Singh Ahluwalia
Founder and Director of Diverse Services Ltd
Leading the change
