About Julian House
- How did Julian House come into being?
- Why isn’t the charity registered with the Charity Commission?
- Where did the name come from?
How did Julian House come into being?
The organisation was founded in 1987 after a homeless man died on the streets of Bath. Spurred by this tragic incident a number of the city’s churches got together and decided that something needed to be done to help the homeless. Initially a series of ad hoc night shelters were used but very quickly two things became apparent – that the scale of the problem was much larger than they had thought and, that it was a very much a 365 day a year problem.
A charity was formed – Bath Churches Housing Association and a public appeal launched to try and set up a dedicated night shelter. Six years later the Julian House night shelter in Manvers Street was opened. Since then other projects and facilities have been developed which are aimed at reconnecting clients with their local communities and preventing others from becoming homeless.
Over time the organisation’s origional name, Bath Churches Housing Association has been replaced by the name of its founding project Julian House. This was formally changed in December 2007.
Why isn’t the charity registered with the Charity Commission?
In England there are three ways that a charity can be registered - with the Charity Commission, as an Industrial & Provident Society (I&PS) and with HM Customs & Revenue. Other well known organisations that are registered under IP&S Act include St Mungos and Thames Reach Bondway – both London based homeless charities. Quite a number of housing associations are registered as IP&Ss.
When Julian House (or Bath Churches Housing Association as it was originally known) was founded, the charity took over the charitable registration of a small local organisation which was in the process of winding down – the Argyle Housing Association. Some of the resources from Argyle HA were used to help to establish the fledging homeless charity that was to become Julian House.
There is no doubt that it sometimes caused confusion, having the words Housing Association in the charity’s registered title. People researching the local rental market assumed that BCHA had a large stock of low cost housing available for rent. Likewise if someone wants to check that Julian House is a proper charity they are puzzled why the organisation is not listed with the Charity Commission. We would normally advise that enquirers to go to the HM Revenue & Customs website and under the charities search facility put in - Julian House or Bath Churches Housing Association (and tick ‘Exact Phrase’)
Things will be much easier when the definitive guide to UK charities comes online with all UK charities and not just the Charity Commission ones. Eventually all IP&S registered charities will come under the authority of the Charity Commission.
Where did the name come from?
Julian of Norwich was a 14th century spiritual counsellor. One of the doctrines which she espoused was: ‘To love a human being is to accept him as he is. If you wait for him to change you are living an idea.’ In other words – we shouldn’t judge people too quickly and, by implication, delay any help and support that we might give.
It seemed very fitting that Julian of Norwich be remembered in the work of the organisation and what better way than to name the night shelter after her. If staff were to turn away every client who displayed erratic behaviour or appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol then little progress would be made in tackling homelessness.
Projects & Services
