at the house - The charity - House of St Barnabas

1864 to 2008

The House of St Barnabas-in-Soho first began operating as "The House of Charity" in 1864, taking its current name in 1961. The objective was to provide refuge and accommodation for homeless people in Soho and the surrounding areas - and for 160 years it continued in this role.

However, with increased running costs and the difficulties of converting the hostel accommodation in this Grade 1 listed building to modern-day standards, the Trustees regretfully decided that the House of St Barnabas was no longer viable as a hostel. It closed as a residence in 2006. (Annual Report 2005-2006)

Instead, the charity's objectives were amended to providing personal support to people who have experienced homelessness. This includes life skills and vocational training, work placements and support in accessing jobs.

Our vision

To help people change their lives and regain and sustain independence by:

De-stigmatising homeless people by providing opportunities that would not normally be available to them
Providing a haven and a community within the House of St. Barnabas that they can belong to and contribute to indefinitely
Enabling people not only to gain qualifications and practical work experience, but then to find employment, a new career path and life changing experiences
Integrating them within the wider community
Enabling them to reach their potential and give them confidence in themselves and their future

The concept behind a state of the art life skills centre is to recognise that many of the barriers of moving out of homelessness that people face are created not by themselves or their abilities, but by external factors created in the environment in which they live: societal attitudes, stigma and prejudice. (Vision Statement)

The next stage

The charity has already begun its new work. In partnership with Beyond Boyle, a renowned and socially responsible catering and events management company, 26 client volunteers worked through a programme of catering skills, leading to awards in food hygiene, first aid and in personal development - and in many cases further training and permanent employment.

We are preparing to launch a health forum to link homeless and vulnerable people to vital health care services.

In the meantime, we are fundraising through traditional routes and raising commercial income through room hire for events and meeting space. The ultimate aim is to raise funds to refurbish the whole of the Grade I listed building that will allow us to use the many parts of the House that are not currently suitable for occupation.

Future plans

In 2006 the House of St Barnabas received funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government to commission a feasibility study into what changes needed to happen in order to make the building fit for purpose as Life Skills and Move On Centre in the 21st Century. The study generated a number of exciting ideas for refurbishing the House from top to bottom, bringing our splendid historic rooms with their rococo plasterwork back to their former glory. Also converting other areas of the House, including the 2nd and 3rd floor dormitories into office accommodation, training suites, meeting rooms and rooms able to be used for the provision of a range of different therapies.

Refurbished premises

Our challenge is to raise the money needed to accomplish the refurbishment. This will mean running a capital appeal over the next couple of years. The renovation is key to our ability to reach as many people in need as we possibly can and to our aim of providing services of the highest quality to homeless and disadvantaged people. We believe that refurbished premises will lead to more event bookings, thus creating more income for the charity's work.

Social enterprises

In addition, we plan to attract a number of social enterprises to take space in the building. They would offer our 'clients' work experience in different job roles. We are already collaborating with professionals to be able to offer psychotherapy, creative writing and acupuncture to our people.

Who's Who

Patron	HRH Princess Alexandra
Vice Patron	Mrs Jenniver White
Visitor	The Bishop of London
Custodian Trustees	David MonroA descendant of Dr Henry Monro, David is senior partner at Monro Fisher Wasbrough solicitors.
	Rev Adam ScottAdam is also a family descendant of Dr Henry Monro. He is a lawyer, engineer and Anglican priest. He is an innovator and has been involved in transforming and privatising BT, the regulation of competition and has engaged with people at St Andrew's University and in the church as a dean in secular employment.
Chief Executive	Pippa BagnallWith a clinical background in nursing, Pippa's career includes senior positions in the health service, Department of Health and the Cabinet Office. She has been a trustee for a number of charities and Chief Executive of The Queen's Nursing Institute. She is currently specialising in the reform of emergency and urgent care services. Pippa was chairman of the trustees from 2004 to 2008, leading the way for the exciting future of the House of St Barnabas. In May 2008 she changed roles, becoming Chief Executive.
Hon Secretary	Jenny GuestFollowing a visit to the House some years ago, Jenny became involved not only as a guide for the Historic Rooms, but as a volunteer. Her background is in museum project management and the public sector including a secondment to the then Active Communities Unit of the Home Office, now part of Communities and Local Government.
Trustees	Susan Bailey WestSue has been a trustee for 16 years. She is a descendant of our founder Dr Henry Munro. Sue has worked for Gordon Smail in fine art collection and DeBeers. She runs her own florist and gardening business and is a parish councillor. She heads up our fundraising task force.
	Rosemary J BrownRosemary has been associated with the House since the 1980s when she was a member of staff. Since then, she has worked with homeless women in Washington DC as chair of the board of Calvary Women's Shelter and in Paris (Centre Flora Tristan). She is communications manager for the Rainforest Foundation. She chairs The Rights Practice and serves on the committee of The Canonbury Society.
	David EvansFounding partner of Berkeley Partnership, David Evans brings to the House his expertise in helping management teams to tackle their most complex and critical challenges. He has worked successfully with a range of firms including Marks and Spencers, BP and Euronext. Even before becoming a trustee, David supported the House in mapping out our future and achieving our aims.
	Christine HancockEuropean Director of the Oxford Health Alliance, Christine is working to combat the global epidemic of chronic disease. Her nursing career spans from experience in acute hospitals and community and mental health services, to heading up the UK's professional association for nurses (Royal College of Nursing) and the International Council of Nurses.
	David ParkerDavid was born in Sydney, Australia and has BA (hons), a Masters degree of Urban and Regional Planning and a Master's degree in Heritage Conservation. He has worked as a town planner in Australia and is currently employed by Westminster City Council.