Quadrant Housing Association was set up in 1963 by a group of young professionals who had met at university and called themselves the "1958 Club". This was the era when squatting was rife and shark landlords like the infamous Peter Rachman were terrorising tenants in London. Gospatric Home, a member of the 1958 club, met Reverend Nicolas Stacey after the latter gave a talk about homelessness to th
e 1958 Club. The two men then organised a visit to a hostel in Plumstead, South East London. What the group saw there prompted them to start an organisation that would aim to provide quality housing for people in housing need. They called the new venture Quadrant Housing Association. The word quadrant came from the naval navigation device, which they chose because it reflected the maritime heritage of the South East London boroughs where they planned to focus their efforts. After the 1974 Housing Act, which made subsidies available and gave them the security they needed to be able to expand, the organisation grew fast. In 1973 Quadrant Housing Association pooled resources with London Housing Trust and the two merged to become London & Quadrant Housing Trust. This new organisation quickly grew into the largest provider of social housing in London.
