QHA - Who We Are

QHA is a Company Limited by Guarantee, no. 2978545 and a Registered Charity, no. 1041921.
Registered address: Sunny Brae, Allendale Road, Hexham, Northumberland, NE46 2NQ

The Quaker Homeless Action Council is made up of 12 volunteer Trustees. Business is conducted using the Quaker business method, with a clerk, assistant clerk and treasurer being nominated to roles. QHA also employs a part-time Director.

We are currently adding to this site. Please visit us again for more information on all of QHA's projects.



What Is Quaker Homeless Action (QHA)? Quaker Homeless Action is a national charity run by a volunteer Council of Trustees. The main objective of Quaker Homeless Action is to alleviate the poverty and distress of homeless people in the UK. QHA is a small and flexible organization that focuses on projects that are not funded by other organisations. The majority of funding for the work of Quaker Homeless Action comes from donations from Quakers. The charity is one example of Quaker 'hands-on' practical help in Britain today.
History of Quaker Homeless Action Quaker Homeless Action was established in the mid-1960's when some of the members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in London recognised a need to offer a Christmas soup run to provide food and friendship to homeless people when many other services in Central London were closed. This initial project developed into Quaker Open Christmas, which is a Christmas Shelter that provides beds as well as food and friendship over the Christmas period.
	Quaker Open Christmas has been run in three main locations, at Blackfriars Church (to 2004), at Whitechapel Mission (2005), and at Union Chapel (from 2007 to the present). Held from 23rd to 30th December, it is staffed by volunteers.
Currently, Quaker Open Christmas is run in close cooperation with the Margins Project, at Union Chapel, Islington. The Margins Project is a year-round service for the homeless and other marginalized people. QHA utilize the space otherwise occupied by the Margins Project for the week of Quaker Open Christmas. QHA also work closely with The Pilion Trust, which provides professional outreach workers for those with drug and/or alcohol addictions and/or mental health needs at Quaker Open Christmas.
	In 1999 Quaker Homeless Action established the Quaker Mobile Library, in London, as a service to provide books and friendship to people who are excluded from public libraries (usually because they have 'no fixed abode'). The library is housed in a converted Ford Transit Luton Van, affectionately named 'The Phoenix', that has shelves lining the interior to hold the books. More than 30 volunteers work on the Quaker Mobile Library Project, which visits different rounds of day centres three days each week (with multiple rounds on Saturday).
In February 2009, Quaker Homeless Action launched a new project, the first to be run outside of London. Working in partnership with another homelessness charity, Routes to Roots, QHA has established a Befriending Teams Pilot Project in Poole, Dorset. The main aim of the Pilot Project is to create a sustainable and replicable Befriending Teams Programme that can be duplicated by others, as needed. The Befriending Teams Pilot Project includes six teams, each made up of one formerly homeless Participant and three Befrienders. The Befrienders work with the newly housed, formerly homeless person to provide support and care in that individual's transition to independent living. The Project is scheduled to conclude by the end of January 2011, after which time the results will be available.
Who are the Quakers? The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as 'Quakers' is a Christian Sect begun in England in 1652. George Fox is commonly known as the 'founder' of Quakerism, although many people interested in religious reform at the time were involved in founding the Religious Society of Friends, including Isaac Pennington, Margaret Fell, and James Naylor. Over the intervening 350 years, many facets of the Quaker belief structure have been adopted by the more mainstream churches. For example, the belief that each individual can access God directly, as opposed to having access exclusively through a Priest, is no longer considered radical. Nevertheless, Quakers often still hold a radical set of religious views. Prime among them is that the church is comprised of the Priesthood of all Believers (men and women equally) and all Members are expected to uphold the Meetings for Worship by either quietly waiting for God or speaking directly to the others gathered, if very moved to do so (this the origin of the name Quaker, as the original Friends would often 'Quake' before being moved to speak). As a radical religious group, Quakers have been involved in many major societal reforms, including the abolition of the slave trade, both in United Kingdom and in the United States, where Quakers were often involved in the Underground Railroad. Another popular example is the Quaker Elizabeth Fry, who concentrated on prison reform. Her work is now celebrated by having her likeness on the £5 banknote. These are only two examples of the many historical societal reforms in which Quakers have been involved. Today, this work continues in projects as diverse as the Ecumenical Accompaniers in Palestine, the foundation of the Circles of Support and Accountability for ex-sex offenders in the UK, Peace and Community Building in South Africa, and the provision of Micro-Credits for marginalized women in London to set up their own businesses. The projects run by Quaker Homeless Action is part of that work. If you would like more information on the Quaker Faith or Faith in Action, please visit the national website of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain at BYM. For more about Quaker's radical history, try the fascinating Quaker Tapestry site. For opportunities to learn about Quakers, visit the website of the Woodbrooke Quaker Study College.