Moore Blatch is proud to sponsor Emmaus Hampshire - a local charity which offers homeless people a home, work and the chance to rebuild their lives in a supportive environment known as an Emmaus Community.

There are currently 17 Communities around the UK and several more in development.  The Emmaus UK Federation is part of an international movement with more than 400 projects in over 40 countries worldwide.  The Hampshire Community is currently under-going construction and as a Gold Corporate Companion, Moore Blatch has been instrumental in its progress.
 
What does Emmaus do?
Emmaus Communities enable people to move on from homelessness, providing work and a home in a supportive, family environment. Companions, as residents are known, work full time collecting renovating and reselling donated furniture. This work supports the Community financially and enables residents to develop skills and rebuild their self-respect.

History and Development
The Emmaus Movement was started in France in the 1940s, founded by a priest, MP and hero of the Resistance, known as Abbé Pierre. Appalled by the poverty and homelessness that he saw around him that he opened his own home to 18 homeless men. These men supported themselves by refurbishing other people’s rubbish, and became known as the rag pickers of Emmaus. Gradually new Communities were established in France and around the world. The first UK Community was set up in Cambridge in 1992.
 
Emmaus Hampshire
Known as the Green Roof Project, Emmaus Hampshire is currently underway constructing it’s Community next to the Household Waste Recycling Centre at Bar End in Winchester. Works are progressing according to plan and Emmaus Hampshire hopes to welcome its first Companions in spring 2009.

Far from just providing a safe place to stay, the Green Roof Community will provide Companions (as residents are known) with the opportunity to learn new skills and make new friends. In return Companions will agree to sign off benefits and commit to a 40-hour working week within the Community. Emmaus Hampshire will also provide the wider community with an invaluable resource - a place to come to donate and buy quality second-hand goods; a place to chat with friends and Companions over a cup of coffee; a place to learn more about environmentally-friendly living ... and, of course, a place where they can feel that they are really making a difference!

If you would like to make a donation or find out more about Emmaus Hampshire, please contact
Avril Robinson, Project Director, on 01962 828817 or email her at avril.robinson@emmaushampshire.org.uk

Alternatively, you can write to Emmaus Hampshire, 33 Staple Gardens, Winchester SO23 8SR