United Kingdom

Emmaus in the UK

Emmaus has had a presence in the UK since 1991 and the movement now has 27 member groups in the country. All the groups are “classic” Emmaus communities which are very active in the fight against homelessness and its causes. The groups in the country benefit from the support of their national organisation, Emmaus UK.

Origins

One night a group of volunteers were giving out soup to homeless people when one of them cried out, “We don’t need food, we need work!” One of these volunteers, Selwyn Image, was a businessman. He then remembered his experiences in the 1960s with the Emmaus Neuilly-Plaisance community in France, where he spent several months working as a volunteer. He contacted Emmaus International and set up the country’s first Emmaus rag-pickers community in Cambridge in 1991.

Main Activities

• Welcome, providing accommodation, reintegration
• Collecting, reusing, recycling and selling on objects
• Political campaigning and awareness raising on the topic of homelessness
• Local, european and international solidarity initiatives

Secondary Activities

• Home collection service
• Fixing objects, upcycling, joinery work
• Solidarity supermarket
• Solidarity café
• Cleaning service