Association for the Betterment of the Homeless

Related to this Union is the Association for the Betterment of the Homeless. This is a Lawful Good Organization established to fight the scourge of homelessness that is rotting into the heart of the city. They do most of the things the Beggar’s Union does, except they do them paternalistically, and they try to get people off the street. The beggars don’t complain—they will take what they can get - though a lot of the beggars in town are fairly happy to be beggars—even in the winter they can go into the sewers and such and be warm, and there is a decent living to be made, when times are good at least. For those who want out, the Homeless Association is a godsend. This group tends to hate the beggars union, and the union tends to think they are a joke, but they cooperate, because the Association is sincere and the union is pragmatic. They differ on one thing—the Beggars Union cooperates with the thieves guild completely (though not the gangs)—the Association fights them all every step of the way. The thieves guild tends to think the Association is a pain in the ass, and has been known to thrash their boys pretty good once in a while—the Wall Gangs (independent small gangs of thugs with colors and knives and such) hate them and attack them constantly, since these gangs tend to prey on beggars and urchins and addicts. The Family, though, does not care—the Association has nothing to do with them. In fact, it is rumored that they secretly fund the association, as a away of undermining the Wall Gangs and the Thieves Guild. The Family is less tolerant of the Beggars’ Union, which acts as though poverty were not punishment from God and thus should be rectified. The Association is fairly new, and alliances are not set in stone. Beggar’s Union Leader: Waldo [This is mostly obliterated by the wars, and is now a local element of the thieves’ guild where it exists.]
Association for the Betterment of the Homeless: (levels of organization) 1)Jaimo the good - founder and leader . . . 2) Sister Mary Michael - a nun from the Universalist church;

Mark Pin: a Reformed priest turned monk

3) Dennis: their muscle, a tough guy, in charge of their general security and the most dangerous parts of town, right around the Wall and the Gully . . .

Abelard: representative from the UBC.

Magda: kind of the women’s services director - and another fighting nun.

4) Their lts . . . Under Dennis (roughly Otto, Jorge (fighters and thieves), Aaron (a priest) Under Abelard: Stanislas (a paladin), Under Magda: Abigail (a monk), Ashley (Paladin), Suzanne (a bard and priest). Misc others: Morgan & Maurice (paladins - UBC Tim and Tina - twin teenagers; Otis (RC priest), Patty (thief; Otis’ girl
I should note that in general this group is not fond of magic - they are soft on magic users, and tend to discourage its use. This, however, is not a universally held prejudice. They are also not as unified as they could be. There are predictable splits between the UBC and the RCB (and there are a few pagans or semi-pagans mixed in as well) - there are splits over tactics (those who favor a degree of militancy - such as Dennis and some of the paladins - and those who prefer total non-violence (Magda, prominently those who favor alliances with other groups, from the beggar’s union to the thieves guilds to other religious groups to adventurers’ groups, and so on vs. those who decry all alliances - and so on). This tends to create something of a three way split: the “thieves” - Dennis and the like, who favor an urban, militant approach, to fight the thieves and gangs and try to address underlying problems; the “paladins” or the church - who focus on caring for the poor, protecting them when necessary, getting them off the streets, more than getting them jobs and protection wherever they are - this group is split somewhat, as some favor cleaning up the streets, and others favor continued aid work, avoiding violence; and the “idealists” - who are aligned more with the adventurers and such in Fairytown, who admire Hillsburg, who have ties to elves and halflings and so on - this group tends to favor a kind of withdrawal - we should move to the country and form a commune kind of thing. They tend to be more political, though - allying themselves with the Hill and with Peterborough and Southbridge, pushing for democracy and so on.
They are mainly active in the gully, the quarter and the Shambles, and in the seedier parts of Southbridge - they tend not to cross the river (and play almost no role there), and are very seldom involved in anything in the Old City or the Heights.
The ABH has a guild hall of sorts in the slums, or right on the edge of the slums, a couple blocks from the cemetery. This is a nice, 5 story building, with strong defensive features. A few of the higher midrange leaders stay here, or in one of the adjoining houses - Magda, Suzanne, Abelard and Stanislas - along with a good number of the rank and file, people like Otto and Jorge and Tim and Tina and the like. Others, like Dennis and Mark Pin, live not far away. The higher level leaders tend to stay in Southbridge and Peterborough - a lot of the people who align with the Hill do as well (the Aaron, Abigail, Ashley (and Adam) family and their friends.) Some of the “thieves” live closer. (There is a geographical split - the gully vs Southbridge/Peterborough, particularly.) . . . The building itself has a big kitchen, larder, etc. - it can serve as a fort in times of trouble . . . There are dormitories for the homeless, dorms for those who serve the ABH itself. There are offices and administrative rooms. There are chapels and the like. It is a kind of urban monastery, in fact.

Public Agenda

Helping the poor and destitute, prptecting them from thieves.

Disbandment

They did not survive the wars. 
Many of the people did, though, and went on to some prominence in other groups. One clear successor organization is the Little Sisters of Charity order - nuns, carrying on the feminism in particular of the ABH - saving fallen girls. Many ABH types were absorbed into mainstream society in Peterborough, and hold positions of authority in the city and in the church there. Predominantly RC though, post wars. Finally, some of Denis’ followers, who tended to work well with thieves, were absorbed into thieves guilds. Otto is prominent in Southbridge, I think, for example. They had ties to the Family, which also carried some fo them into crime. These people tend to be despised by the ones who stayed true, and especially the religious ones.

DISBANDED/DISSOLVED

Type

Activist, Charity

Alternative Names

ABH

Leader

Jaimo the Good

Location

Waynesburg

Notable Members

• Jaimo the Good