Community Life

Living in a Community

'We are a Community, somewhere where we are united and together'

Emmaus offers a home in a Community, where people can live and work, sharing a life together, but retaining their own dignity and independence. At Emmaus, everyone is accepted for who they are now, not judged on what they might have been in the past.

There are no rules about how long a Companion (as those who live and work in Emmaus Communities are known) may stay, provided they abide by the principles of Emmaus and the spirit of the Community.

Being a Community is not just a matter of living together; it requires commitment. All Companions must respect each other and contribute to the well-being of the Community. They must agree to abide by the rules, for example not bringing alcohol or drugs into the Community.

There are, of course, people for whom an Emmaus Community is not appropriate, for example if they require a degree of care and support which Emmaus is unable to offer, or because they pose a risk that the Community cannot manage. The degree of support which each Community can offer depends on its circumstances at the time.

Emmaus is a secular organisation which is not linked to any religious faith or denomination; Companions of any faith, or none, are welcome.

Working in a Community

'We are not beggars. We are not a welfare organisation. We are workers with a job to do.'

On the day a Companion joins a Community he or she 'signs off' unemployment benefits such as Job Seekers Allowance or Incapacity Benefit (though they will be asked to apply for Housing Benefit, which will be paid directly to the Community). Everyone who joins an Emmaus Community accepts that they will be expected to work full time.

The work is an integral part of Community life. The business side of the Community helps to generate the revenue which will make a Community self-sustaining. All the proceeds of the Community's work go into the 'pot' and every Companion receives out of that their board and clothing, plus weekly spending money of around £33 per week. A sum of around £6 is also set aside for the Companion as savings.

Any surplus created by the business is used to help those who have less. Sharing (or solidarity) is central to the Emmaus ethos and may take many forms. It may be an established Community helping out a new Community just starting. Or it may be that the Companions support the local night shelter or send money to Emmaus International to help projects overseas.

The main business activity for Emmaus Communities is collecting donated goods and selling them in the Community shop. Companions work in all aspects of the business, doing a variety of tasks such as:

  • driving the van to collect/deliver items;
  • refurbishing items in the workshop;
  • sorting donated items;
  • working in the customer café (in some Communities);
  • serving customers in the shop.

Just as importantly, there is the work within the Community, for example:

  • preparing meals;
  • house cleaning;
  • maintaining the grounds (on some Community sites this can be a full time job).

Communities provide any training necessary for Companions to do their work, such as health and safety, food hygeine, workshop training etc. Many Companions also undertake other courses, such as literacy, numeracy, driving or computing.

Joining a Community

Find out about joining a Community