Beacon Hill Friends House operates a cooperative residence for students and working people intersted in commuity living. Since 1957, between 18 and 22 people each year have made a home here based on Quaker principles of community, equality, and simplicity. Residents share responsibility for maintaining the House, for serving meals, and for planning seasonal retreats. Tolerance, honest communication, and mutual support are encouraged among residents.
The Residents
There is no one word or phrase that neatly descibes the women and men who live at the House. Many are students at graduate, undergraduate, or vocational programs in fields ranging from art to theology to engineering. Some are full-time working people. Although preference in admissions is given to Quakers, most residents come from other spiritual traditions. A diversity of ages, from a minimum of age 18, is welcomed. One or more international students often live at the House.
Residents are led to the House for many reasons: because they want to be near a Quaker meeting and live with other spiritual seekers; because they are excited by the challenge of cooperative living in a community with diverse individuals; because they have a concern for peace and social justice and want to be in a community supportive of their values. Others come simply because the House is a good place to learn English.
Organizaton
The House offers residents a chance to live according to Quaker priciples of self-government. The Board governs the House through several committees. Residents choose representatives to serve on most committees and to report to the Board as well. Decisions are reached in committee and Board meetings by the Quaker decision making process, which is similar to a consensus process.
All residents and staff are expected to attend a House meeting held every two weeks. At this meeting residents discuss all issues affecting life in the community from the sublime to the ridiculous. At House meeting, residents plan events (both social and educational) and discuss issues ranging from the use of alcohol to the use of the VCR. A copy of some of the more important policies is included with the application materials.
Resident Responsibilities
Residents are expected to help once a week with serving and cleaning up after meals, to do a specified household chore ach week and to work during spring and fall cleaning days. Residents are encouraged to help plan and attend three community building retreats, to attend House meeting, to help out in emergencies and to make Friends House a hospitable place for many visitors.
Food at the Friends House
The House provides simple, nutritious food for residents. The kitchen manager (who is also a resident) does grocery shopping so that food is available for residents to cook their own breakfast and lunch. The kitchen manager prepares a vegetarian meal five nights each week, with a meat option two or three times each week. Although we do change our menu and shopping lists based on the desires of each group of residents, we are not able to accommodate every special request. We provide limited storage space for residents who purchase special food items of their own.
A shared dinner, served every night but Friday and Saturday, is an important part of community life. No one is expected to be at every dinner, but applicants who anticipaate having a schedule which would keep them away from dinner more than three nights a week should discuss that during the interview.
Residents Handbook
It is difficult to capture the essence of community in action through mere words. The spirit and atmosphere of such a living experience can only be understood by participating in the life of the group. A more complete picture of the expectations and rules for life at Beacon Hill Friends House may be obtained by reading the Residents Handbook. The contents of the Handbook are constantly being modified to reflect the changes in the individuals and society over the years. For a PDF formated file of the Handbook click here.
Application for Residency
Beacon Hill Friends House welcomes applications from all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or age. Anyone interested in living at BHFH should please contact the directors to request an application packet. Send an e-mail which includes your name, address and phone number to 'Directors at BHFH dot org'. Since our application process does take some time and demand for space is often high, we suggest applying two months in advance. Most openings occur at the end of May and the end of August, but occasionally spaces are available at other times. Anyone with questions about the House or the application process is welcome to contact the office.