Community houses
Since setting up Kingsley Hall in 1965, the Philadelphia Association has run more than twenty community houses which have offered asylum and hospitality to those who sought them.
The experience of forty years has demonstrated that personal crises or seemingly inescapable distress and confusion, as well as experiences of "stuckness" with intractable "problems", may for many people best be negotiated in such therapeutic households.
Philadephia Association houses are open to people suffering from serious mental and emotional stress who come together to address the ways in which their difficulties manifest themselves in everyday living.
How our houses work
Residents have their own rooms, in a large house, with an open invitation to make themselves at home. How long people stay varies, depending on individual circumstances. People come with a variety of diagnoses – what is important is a desire to change and give meaning to experiences which have led to their distress.
Many people find they are able to reduce or come off medication and to reduce or end involvement with psychiatric services, as well as getting on with their lives in more productive ways than before.
Each community has three or four regular house meetings a week with house therapists. Residents are also encouraged to be in individual therapy.
Who can apply for a place
At present our houses are able to take people who are eligible for housing benefit or who can otherwise pay the rent themselves. We do not require any local authority or health authority funding. We welcome enquiries from prospective residents or those involved in their care.
How to apply for a place
Anyone interested in pursuing a place in one of the houses, or wishing to refer someone, should contact the Houses Coordinator in the first instance.
