Quaker Social Action

Quaker Social Action (QSA) is a small, independent charity working in east London and beyond to tackle poverty.[1]

Quaker Social Action
QSA's logo since 2015.
AbbreviationQSA
PredecessorBedford Institute Association
Formation1867
TypeCharity
HeadquartersBethnal Green
Location
  • East London
Judith Moran
Staff
25

Each year, QSA supports around 3,000 people with practical action. 25 people are employed by QSA[2] who are led by its director Judith Moran. Though not religious, QSA adheres to Quaker values of social justice.

History

Founded as the Bedford Institute Association (BIA) in 1867, its original purpose was to commemorate the life and continue the work of the Quaker silk merchant and philanthropist of Spitalfields, Peter Bedford (1780–1864).[3]

As the BIA entered the 20th century, its eight branches across east and South London worked to nurture healthy citizens. They became places of refuge from the slums of East End streets, offering activities, summer camps, and outings for unemployed men and women with children.

The new post-war flats, new jobs, and new social legislation gave east Londoners an improved standard of living based on rights rather than charity. The welfare state made some of the BIA's work unnecessary, but after the war, the high density housing and broken community ties sowed the seeds of problems for the future.

In the 1970s and 1980s, economic crises and changes to welfare policy created a new, spiraling rise in social deprivation and poverty. In the late 1980s, the BIA began to grow rapidly once again in response. To reflect a more modern image and purpose, the BIA was renamed as Quaker Social Action and incorporated as a limited company (as well as a charity) in 1998.

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gollark: What? No.
gollark: That wouldn't actually save you, but in general yes.
gollark: Oh, Sans from the Undertale movie? That makes sense.
gollark: Of course, if I were you, I would have predicted that issue and produced a fake list as a bluff. Since by the seventh gollarious axiom you may be me at any time, you did, so I have to ignore that, since it contains no useful information.

References
  1. "Quaker Social Action | Home". www.quakersocialaction.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  2. "Charity overview". Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  3. "Quaker Social Action | History and values". www.quakersocialaction.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
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