Who we are

Emmaus is about people, many of whom arrive at Emmaus at a very low point in their lives. People become homeless for many different reasons but relationship breakdown, bereavement, addiction or abuse have often played a part. In Emmaus, they find the space and support they need to start rebuilding their lives. You can read the stories of some of our Companions (as those who live and work in Emmaus Communities are called) below.

As well as Companions, many other people make up the Emmaus Movement in the UK.

  • Our President, Royal Patron and Patrons, Terry Waite CBE, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and a wide range of other high profile supporters act as Ambassadors for Emmaus, offering their valuable advice and helping to raise our profile.
  • Emmaus staff in Communities, Groups and the Federation Office
  • Our volunteers and trustees
  • Our supporters

These people come from a wide variety of backgrounds and all bring different skills and experience to Emmaus. What brings the us together is our shared commitment to enabling those who have been homeless and excluded from society to rebuild their lives and help others. The central values of Emmaus, shared by the worldwide Movement, are set out in the Universal Manifesto of Emmaus, which you can download below.

Companions' stories

You can also read staff stories and volunteer stories

  • Michael

    I have been married twice. My first marriage lasted for 22 years. The relationship broke up due to the fact I was never at home. I was working extremely long hours on a farm. I married again too quickly and was a carer to my second wife. I found the situation very stressful, and after that marriage broke up, I ended up in hospital with a drink related illness. I… Read full story

  • Peter (Preston)

    My wife died suddenly in 1996 leaving me to bring up my 4 year old son. Whilst my son thrived I just didn’t settle or seem to fit in and soon fell into a spiral of depression, social withdrawal and self-pity, all exacerbated by an over-reliance on drugs and alcohol. The years passed in a stupor and I was coming to the attention of the local police and child welfare… Read full story

  • James (Greenwich)

    Emmaus is a new way of life that was created 50 years ago to show society that we have a new way of doing things. Emmaus is not really a charitable organization and it’s not just about homeless people, it’s a philosophy. Emmaus does not just take someone, give them a job and tell what their room number is. Emmaus is a stage of life for people who have lost… Read full story

  • Jordana

    I put up with a lot of family issues including drug addiction and violence for a number of years and it all culminated two years ago in a physical fight between me and my Mum which ended in hospitalisation. She has always been quite abusive, but when you are a child you have nothing to compare your life and your parents with- you just accept it. I felt I needed… Read full story

  • Andy

    I was brought up in care. I went to a school in Shopshire. It was beautiful there. The countryside was lovely. In some ways those were the best years of my life. I was picked for the Junior Olympics when I was 14. My sport was the triathalon. I loved it, but I couldn't carry on because I started to have problems in my back. I had a friend at… Read full story

  • John

    I have a long history of drug and alcohol abuse. I started when I was about sixteen. It was partly because I got in with the wrong people, and partly the pressure of looking after my father who had cancer. I missed out on my childhood and teenage years. I had six brothers and a sister so it was a lot for my mum to deal with. My Dad was… Read full story

  • Mark (Greenwich)

    I’d heard about Emmaus in Poland. I’d heard the name but then I heard about it here when I phoned Emmaus on behalf of a friend who was also homeless. The whole idea of Emmaus, it’s mission statement, is wonderful but as everything man-made it is imperfect but we are trying to do our best. We are doing something positive, contributing. I care a lot about Emmaus. You don’t have… Read full story

  • Clayton Cutter (Leeds)

    I was in the RAF from the age of nineteen. I did my training at RAF Halton got posted to RAF Lossiemouth and then went to Norway. Just after September 11th I went to the Gulf for four months. I decided I wanted to join the Police and handed in my resignation to the RAF. When my application was still being processed, I injured my shoulder very badly and they… Read full story

  • Cyrus (Leeds)

    I have been at Emmaus Leeds since March 2004. I was an angry child and I grew into an angry adult. I was beaten very badly on a regular basis by my father when I was a child. For twenty years I related to people by being aggressive and terrorising them. If someone just looked at me, I’d want to know why. I went to prison quite a lot of… Read full story

  • Curly (Leeds)

    I came to Emmaus Leeds eight months ago. I was abused as a child. In those days such things were brushed under the carpet. My Dad’s brother was one of the people who abused me. My Dad beat him up and he died five months later. The other person who abused me killed himself. I helped my Dad on our small holding. We had pigs, ducks, poultry and goats. I… Read full story

  • Brett

    After I left school I went to college for two years and became a qualified chef. I had no real intention of becoming a chef though because I had set my heart on working for the electricity supply industry. I entered my chosen profession and rose up through the ranks and became a shop manager. Unfortunately, because of a change of policy they started to close the shops, and I… Read full story

  • Richard (Preston)

    My wife Sara and I lived in Bristol and worked for the same company, earning good money. We owned our own home and lived quite well on our joint wages. We had a mortgage with Northern Rock. In 2008, the company we worked for went into liquidation overnight. We were suddenly jobless. Shortly afterwards, Northern Rock repossessed our house. We were homeless. We moved around, staying with family members, but… Read full story

  • Elena

    I was at Emmaus Brighton for two years and then about a year ago I came here to Emmaus St Albans. When I arrived in this country from the Ukraine, I didn’t speak any English, I hardly knew anyone and I had no money. I came to Emmaus at a critical point in my life and they were there for me. It became my home. I enjoy working in the… Read full story

  • Mark

    My childhood was ok but when I was fifteen, my parents divorced. I had a new step mum and a new step dad and I did a lot of travelling between them. They would ask me questions about each other and I felt they were using me. It was around this time that I started missing days off school and sniffing glue and petrol. My Dad was a miner and… Read full story

  • Andrew Ibrams (Preston)

    Hi, my name's Andi, and I've been a companion at Emmaus Preston for about eight months now. Emmaus Preston has been going through a lot of changes recently, and one of these is that I'm no longer working in the shop. The staff here have decided to give me a bit more responsibility, and with my background in IT and admin, they've given me the chance to work online, helping… Read full story

  • Steve

    I was at Emmaus Greenwich for five and a half years. Before that I had my own house where I lived with my partner. I became homeless after the relationship broke up. I lost my home and went to a night shelter in Watford. At the shelter they slung us out at eight in the morning and we couldn’t go back until seven at night. There was nothing to do… Read full story

  • Andrew Ibrams (Preston)

    We've just completed another solidarity job at Emmaus Preston, just thought I'd write a bit of a story about it. Ms Evans, of Avenham, had moved into a new property, and was left with practically nothing in the way of furniture or belongings after doing so. We were aproached by helpdirect.org.uk to see if we could lend a hand, and after a liason between Mark in the shop, Craig on… Read full story