:: a potted history of LCH ::

National Cyrenians liaised with local people and subsequently Hammersmith Cyrenians was born on 28^th February 1972 when 3 West Kensington Houses were taken over from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham as part of the response to the hostel closure. The first residents moved in to Charleville Road on 8^th March 1972. The first worker, Francis Prittie was a volunteer, he remembers ‘ I started at Tunbridge Wells Cyrenians on 4^th February 1972 and spent about four weeks there on a crash induction before being handed three huge bundles of keys. Clive Soley was a Councillor in Hammersmith at the time we started and was very supportive.'

Initially the organisation and the three houses were run by a number of full-time volunteers who ‘ran' the project.  They were recruited nationally, came from all over the U.K. and Europe and were supported by an informal local committee who evolved into the Council of Management and assumed legal responsibility for the project when it was incorporated in 1975.  The volunteers shared accommodation with the residents reflecting the ‘Cyrenians Principles' of acceptance of the individual, non-judgemental approach and non-authoritarian working.  The houses operated on a three tier system, reception – accepting almost anyone if they were homeless and there was a vacancy; half-way – where homeless people could stay for a few months at a time; and long-stay community, where people could stay for as long as they wished, share in the running of the home and be involved in the organisation.  The latter being the origin of two of LCH's present projects..

An early volunteer, Nick Haslewood recollected during 21^st anniversary celebrations ‘Delighted to hear you are still going strong and that I was able to play a small part in your history and development so long ago.  I had some brilliant, moving and upsetting times.  Charleville came aglow with warmth and conviviality after all the windows were repaired, the filth cleaned from the cellars and the derelict front door reclaimed.  Never since then have I had to, late on a Christmas Eve, climb over a wall to a neighbouring property to recover the turkey and wash the mud off it!  The voluntary workers coped because they worked as a team and had professional support from Social Services.  Nothing in my working life has matched my experience with Hammersmith Cyrenians but it has held me in good stead.'

In August 1974 an Administrator was appointed following recognition that the size and financial complexity of the organisation necessitated the employment of a paid member of staff to fulfil the requirements of company business and prepare for charitable status.  In November 1974, as Hammersmith Cyrenians developed into the London Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, an emergency accommodation project began in two houses and with them a long and productive partnership with the Royal Borough.  The organisation became incorporated on 23^rd January 1975.

Later, in 1976, further paid staff, 2 Field Workers were appointed to train and support the volunteers and in October 1977 a Resettlement Worker joined the team of paid staff to co-ordinate and better plan move-on opportunities and options.

July 1978 saw the name Hammersmith Cyrenians give way to West London Cyrenians to reflect the development of the organisation.

Over the years approaches to the work changed – quite early on it was recognised that residents were entitled to their own space and privacy, an agreed standard of accommodation and consistency of service delivery, therefore, documentation of agreed standards was devised.  Whilst the use of volunteers was deliberate at the beginning and underpinned by the belief that they would be closer in status to residents than paid staff, avoiding any problems caused by mutual alienation, the ideology had begun to be challenged as early as 1975.  The obvious divisions that existed between workers and residents, despite the fact they shared accommodation and income levels, contradicted the tenets of the volunteer philosophy.  The difficulties associated with volunteers living and working in often challenging and stressful situations was unrealistic.  People began to recognise that workers had more power than residents, different expectations and different reasons for being part of the project.  In 1980 the volunteers moved into worker accommodation nearby to projects but sufficiently distanced to positively promote independence amongst the residents of the day.