“Our support is person-centred and not time limited.”
When did you become part of the Emmaus Bristol team, and what motivated you to join?
I joined Emmaus Bristol in March 2016. I’d previously been the CEO of Stepney City Farm in East London, and had moved to Bristol, which is close to where I grew up. I’d been doing a temporary contract working with Bristol Reuse Network, which Emmaus was a part of. The job really appealed to me as it combined environmental principles with social action and addressing poverty and homelessness. You might not think that a city farm has much in common with a homelessness charity, but as they both combine vulnerable adults, social enterprise, 24/7 provision and managing buildings, they require similar skills-sets. Very different residents though!
What does your role involve?
As the Chief Exec of a small charity my role can be crazily diverse from high level meetings one minute to identifying why there is a poo on our doorstep and where shall we report it to get it cleared up! Until recently I covered finance and HR as well as line managing our social impact teams (social enterprise and support) so I was involved in every aspect of the organisation. That’s changing a bit as we take on more specialist staff, for the charity to grow.
How does Emmaus Bristol’s approach to homelessness differ from other organisations, and why is this approach effective?
Our support is person-centred and not time limited.
Sometimes a companion will appear to be capable and cheerful and not need much support. But no-one comes to Emmaus because they have a great life. It’s a necessity not a choice. Sometimes it can take years to get top the root cause of why they became homeless, and to begin to recover and move on.
Our housing is not staffed as we respect peoples’ ability to live independently but have an on-call system for emergencies.
What’s one key thing you think people should understand about Emmaus Bristol, and why?
Living in a community (Shaftesbury House is home to up to 25 adults) is very intense. When a companion moves in, they are living and working alongside a group of people for whom the only commonality might be homelessness. There are hugely different cultures and experiences, a mixture of ages and languages, education levels and political opinions. Living in a community necessitates having acceptance and tolerance of difference. This is probably the least-recognised but most important life skill that Emmaus provides.
Is there a success story or memorable moment from your time at Emmaus Bristol that stands out for you?
We took on four empty homes on a 10-year peppercorn lease from Bristol City Council but had to extensively renovate them to make them habitable again. Everyone pulled together to make it happen and as well as professional builders we had teams of volunteers, staff and companions helping out where they could. One companion got a job in construction as a result. It was quite a big risk as we didn’t have the money in the bank to do the renovation and I had to quickly fundraise. The houses were renovated thanks to our donors and local grant makers and businesses. I was really touched at the response we got. I remember having a call with one supporter who wasn’t sure about the project initially, but after we spoke, they put in quite a bit. We use the homes for families who can’t access social housing but can’t afford private rents and we rent them at LHA rates. I feel proud to have given the children a more secure start in life in a nice, terraced house. One family of five had been living in a single room before.
What do you enjoy most about being part of Emmaus Bristol, and why?
For me it’s the variety and working alongside my colleagues – staff, trustees, companions and volunteers – we all do our bit to keep this ship afloat. I love walking around Backfields House which is a hive of activity with loads of different offices and workshops as well as the shop.
What is one thing you wish more people knew about homelessness?
So much relates to childhood experiences. Nearly 90% of homeless people have suffered from adverse childhood experiences such as a parental addiction, abuse or griding poverty. We can’t tackle homelessness without looking at the root causes and helping more families to be emotionally and financially secure. Without better intervention there is a direct line from adverse childhood experiences to adult homelessness.
What are the biggest challenges facing Emmaus Bristol right now, and how are you addressing them?
It’s always money, isn’t it? When I started, I put a lot of effort into boosting rental and social enterprise income and reducing dependence on grants. For a few years we saw consistent income growth and then the first lockdown happened, and overnight we had no social enterprise income. I had to quickly fundraise to make up what we’d lost. Post-pandemic the inflation crisis has been devastating. We’ve had to spend from reserves, but at least we had reserves to use. Every week I hear about another charity closing. Now we need to build our reserves back up, or we won’t weather the next crisis.
Looking ahead, what are your biggest hopes and goals for Emmaus Bristol?
Regular readers of our newsletter will know of our goal to add more housing. We desperately need move-on housing so that companions ready for work or independent living have somewhere to go, and then we can help more people out of homelessness. We investigated building on our rooftop but it wasn’t viable, so it’s back to the drawing board.
Could you share an upcoming project or initiative you’re excited about and tell us why it matters to you?
We plan to open the training and work experience we provide through our social enterprises to people who don’t live in Emmaus. We’ve trialled this successfully with interns from Bristol City College, and if we can secure funding, will roll out to other local charities and housing providers. In this way we will be able to help more people into employment and to feel part of a community.
If you would like to get involved with Emmaus Bristol after reading about what we do, please visit our volunteer or donate items pages. If you would like to support us by making a financial donation, please visit our donate page.
