Since 1174, St John's Foundation in Bath has been providing support to the people of Bath and the surrounding areas. One of the UKs oldest charities, its offices and many of its almshouse apartments remain on the site of the original medieval hospital where it all began almost nine centuries ago.

St John's Hospital, as it was previously known, was not a hospital in the medical sense; the name was derived from the word hospitable and provided almshouse accommodation for the poor and disadvantaged in the community.

While St John's continues to provide its renowned almshouse accommodation, as social needs have changed, so the charity has adapted and extended its reach to meet these new set of needs. To better reflect the broader scope of the charity, it changed its name to St Johns Foundation in 2017.

In addition to managing and maintaining its 98 almshouse apartments, the charity also provides an Independent Living Service, tailored to its almshouse residents needs. The modern-day St John's also offers an excellent Community Outreach service, aimed at older adults, which is growing in popularity and attendance year on year. But its not just older adults who need support; in 2005, St John's established its Funding Award Programme aimed predominantly at the younger generation which has its own set of issues and difficulties to contend with.

The charity currently distributes over £2million a year to local charities and organisations which apply on behalf of individuals who have reached a crisis point in their lives. Sadly, the need for organisations such as St John's is higher than ever: There has been a 50% increase in applicants seeking help in relation to debt problems, with many people in paid work but still finding themselves unable to make ends meet. Local authority cutbacks, exorbitant house prices (house prices in Bath are 14 times higher than average earnings) and the five-week wait for Universal Credit have all helped fuel this debt crisis.

September 2019 saw the charity launch its new-style website which will showcase the charity's impact across Bath & the surrounding areas on a real-time basis. The new format and easier navigation mean that people can access St John's support more readily and allows the charity to be even more responsive to need as it arises.

Reliable and reputable, St John's is a mainstay in Bath, keeping true to its over-arching purpose: To change peoples lives. For good.