Working together to end homelessness
How You Can Help
- Simply book your next holiday with Charitable Travel and tell us you want to support Emmaus. The charity will then benefit from the free donation you can make as part of the booking process. To read more about how this works, head to our ‘About Us‘ page.
- If you want to make a donation to Emmaus and you are not booking a holiday, click here to visit their website.
- Visit emmaus.org.uk to sign up to newsletters, and follow the Emmaus social media pages, and help spread the word.
Often the image of someone experiencing homelessness in the UK is of a person sleeping in a doorway or on a park bench, but there are also huge numbers of people experiencing hidden homelessness which can have just as devastating an impact.
Many support agencies are only able to provide a bed for a night and a hot meal, but the next morning they are back on the streets. This doesn’t give the individual the opportunity to address the root cause of their homelessness and find a long-term way to overcome it.
This is where Emmaus is different. We don’t just offer a bed for the night, we offer a safe home in a community setting for as long as it’s needed and meaningful work in our social enterprises.
Being part of a community, and contributing to it, plays an important role in restoring lost self-esteem and helps companions (the term for the people we support) to overcome homelessness in the long term.
Emmaus isn’t just a place to live, we provide support, training and development opportunities. Companions are encouraged to undertake training and wellbeing activities for their personal and professional development, helping them to develop new skills (or build on existing ones), improve mental and/or physical health and wellbeing and increase employability.
“Being offered a place at Emmaus was a turning point for me. From being homeless, I suddenly had a home and a chance to transform my life. I’ve always had a real passion for working with wood and a fascination with using traditional tools; it’s my dream to have a career doing just that. The Emmaus team really encouraged me to believe in myself and have the confidence to get going with my training. I’m hoping to take the next step and start my Level 3 BTEC qualification.”
Not only does Emmaus have a significant impact on the lives of those who have experienced homelessness and social exclusion, it also brings wider social, economic and environmental benefits.
Many of our communities have workshops where companions, staff and volunteers work together to restore furniture. Emmaus communities depend on donations of second-hand items to keep them going. Reuse and upcycling are a huge part of our social enterprise model, and during 2018-2019 we saved more than 12,000 tonnes of unwanted household items from ending up in landfill.
Solidarity can be very valuable for Emmaus companions as it creates a sense of accomplishment and proves that everyone has the capacity to make a difference to the lives of others.
“Emmaus has done so much for me. Emmaus is the place to help you achieve your goals. I value every day and I’m just thankful that Emmaus was there when I needed it the most”
Get in touch
Unit 302 Scott House, The Custard Factory, Gibb Street, Birmingham B9 4AA
Company Number: 3422341
Charity Number: 1064470
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