Savings of £800,000 per year are no laughing matter.
A line up of speakers including comedian Harry Enfield, Hilary Armstrong MP and Terry Waite, helped promote new research revealing that each Emmaus Community can save over £800,000 in public spending at an event in Westminster on 18th November.
The research by Cambridge University, led by Professor Christine Whitehead, also illustrates that Emmaus Communities provide a unique and successful approach to homelessness and offer huge benefits both to those living in Communities and to the wider community.
Speaking at the event, the comedian Harry Enfield said, 'Dependency is a great disabler. When you're on the streets you feel worthless and you have no self-esteem. One of the great things about Emmaus is that it is an enabler. Apart from the amazing savings to the tax payer, Emmaus gives people back their self-esteem.'
Stephen Timms MP also spoke during the evening, saying, 'The advantages of having a job go way beyond the financial benefits. Contributing through work is a key point and one of the foundations of Emmaus. Lives can be transformed when people are given the opportunity to contribute through work.'
More information
You can download a summary of the research findings or the full report from the "Page Resources" below.
Published on 21st November, 2008
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