Interior view of Beacon Hill Friends House with wooden furniture and large window.

Beacon Hill Friends House

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Spiritual
  • Urban

Founding year

  • 1957

What we do

Beacon Hill Friends House is:
– a cooperative residence for those interested in community living
– a center for public educational programming that supports personal and spiritual deepening
– a public meeting & event space welcoming a wide range of community groups
– a Quaker nonprofit organization, and the longtime home of Beacon Hill Friends Meeting (an independent Quaker congregation)
Beacon Hill Friends House is located on historic Beacon Hill in Boston, Massachusetts, a few blocks from the State House. The building was originally built in 1803. Since being given to Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1957, the building has become a center for the Quaker community and others in the Boston area.
Beacon Hill Friends House fulfills its mission by:
– providing a center where Friends and others can meet, worship, and study
– offering opportunities for the development of personal growth and deepening
– maintaining a diverse residential community guided by Friends’ principles
– providing hospitality to visitors in our B&B style guest rooms
– advancing and fostering the principles of the Religious Society of Friends
21 Residents (of many faith and non-faith traditions) live at the house for up to four years. We create community through house dinners cooked by our kitchen manager, sharing chores and community-building responsibilities, and two house meetings a month. We welcome residency applications from people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, beliefs, sexualities, backgrounds, etc.

Our Mission

“To embody the Quaker principles of faith, simplicity, integrity, community, and social responsibility in order to nurture and call forth the Light in all of us.”

  • Purpose
  • Spiritual
  • Community type
  • Coliving
  • Spiritual Retreat Centers
  • Activities
  • Networking

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 1957
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 1957
  • Started living together

Gallery

  • 22 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
22

How to join

Vacancies occur throughout the year, and we accept applications on a rolling basis.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

We have one guest room that is available for short-term (up to 2 week) stays. If you would like to stay in our guest rooms, please call the office or email us. We are also open to visits from people looking to live here. Please contact BHFH staff at st***@**fh.org to arrange your visit.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Single Leader or Founding Couple

One person or partnership has ultimate authority.

Decision-making process

  • Modified Consensus

Generally seek agreement, but have backup methods when consensus isn’t reached.

Governance structure

  • Collaborative/Horizontal

Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.

Conflict resolution approach

We have four full-time staff members, including an Executive Director, Associate Director, and Facility Manager, and Program & Outreach Manager.
Some decisions are made by staff, others by a consensus process in house meeting, and others by the board.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • There is a labor obligation
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Regular fees: Yes
Labor: Yes
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
Residents to weekly household chores and “dish crews” (setting up and cleaning up dinner).
Rent varies depending on room size, and includes all utilities. All residents also pay full board. We ask for a security deposit equivalent to one month’s rent in a double room.

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Library, Workshop, Large Scale Kitchen, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • 2-5 times per week

Dietary restriction

  • People can cook and eat what they want in their own residence

Community activities and engagement

  • Organization, Resource, or Network

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure
  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies
  • Religions
  • Quaker

Gender composition

  • Roughly balanced (no group over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Mixed adults (few or no children)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a Community Land Trust or some other kind of nonprofit

Setting

  • Urban

Within city limits with access to urban amenities and infrastructure.

Community type

  • Coliving

    Shared living spaces with private bedrooms/bathrooms and communal
    kitchens, dining, and social areas.

  • Spiritual Retreat Centers

    Residential communities focused on providing space for meditation, spiritual practice, and personal growth retreats.

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • 33 - 66%

Food systems

  • Community garden

Guest Book

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Location

  • Massachusetts, United States

Needs and Offers

Connecting communities through an intentional online marketplace

  • Promoted
Offer
  • Promoted
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Communities with Openings
7 months ago

Worktrade Opportunities on Big Island Hawaii

We are continuing our work-trade program at Bridge Hawaii for the right people on this beautiful 86-acre land located along the Hāmākua Coast. Ideally, we want to host those individuals who can help with the garden and who can support with build projects for up to a 3 month stay. This work-trade would include lodging, food staples, community kitchen, running hot water showers, off-grid electricity, and laundry. There is access to high speed wi-fi. We often have a car that can be reserved. We also have full bar signal strength with Verizon cellphone service. We have about 2 acres of permaculture garden that needs to be cared for including; weeding, planting, picking up mulch, some tree trimming, ect. We are currently in a building stage on the land. We have a few current grant projects we are working on and some build projects that are underway. We are an intentional community with about 8 permanent residents. There are rescue dairy cows, mini cows, mini donkeys, horses, a donkey, cats, dogs, and active bee hives. We are a drug and alcohol “free” space. A glass of wine or beer with dinner is fine, but absolutely no day drinking or parties. We have a meditation temple and many waterfall pools that are wonderful for swimming. Close to some of the nicest beaches on island. We have snorkeling gear and a kayak. Since this is an animal sanctuary, we limit the consumption of meat on the land. Fish, eggs, honey, and dairy are fine. Let me know if you’re interested by sending an email or text for our application. Maomi (801) 623-0738 ma***@*****************ii.com
Offer
  • Real Estate For Sale
3 weeks ago

3000sf House+Apartment, Rosewind Cohousing, Port Townsend WA

We are a retired couple who are downsizing, still living within the community. We are selling our large, flexible, comfortably rustic house, perfect for a multigenerational household, a family with kids or for 2 separate households. It’s 3000 square feet on 3 levels. The house is on a slope, with 2 main entrances. At one time it housed a large blended family. The current setup is a 2250 square foot, 2 bath main house with a 700 square foot rental apartment, also called an auxiliary dwelling unit (ADU). There is a staircase between the main and lower floor, with a lockable door. If desired, the ADU kitchen can be removed. The main floor has a very large kitchen/dining area, large living room, two small bedrooms, a bathroom with 2 sinks and a shower, a laundry room and a large mudroom. The non-bearing wall between the 2 bedrooms can be removed to turn it back to a single primary bedroom. The top floor has two bedrooms, one of which is primary with a large bright sitting area, and a large open middle area between them (game room, TV room, kids sleeping area, etc.). There is a bathroom with a claw-foot tub, no shower. The lower floor is the ADU, a finished storage area and a stand-up “crawl space“ which is used as a second pantry and storage. Attached to the house there is also a 150 sq ft wood paneled office/hobby space with its own electric and propane lines. Features: – straw bale construction, which is energy-efficient, great sound insulation, and provides a warm, soft, feeling. -very large functional kitchen with a long granite countertop. The dining area fits 10 people. -natural construction, with solid maple floors in the middle and upper level, marmoleum floor in kitchen and oak floor in the lower level. The two small bedrooms have painted wood floors. The doors are all solid wood. -large, functional, low maintenance patio area. Room for a table for eight and an additional sitting area. Propane hook ups for grills and smokers. -min

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