The Queen Consort has visited The Emmaus Community at Bobby Vincent House which is part of Emmaus SLC.
On arrival at the centre, The Queen Consort was given a tour of the Community building by Mahesh Pherwani, one of the community’s Companions (the name given to people supported by Emmaus) who has lived at Emmaus for a number of years.
Emmaus supports formerly homeless people by giving them a home, meaningful work in a social enterprise, funded training and the support needed to get themselves back on their feet again.
There are currently 30 Emmaus communities spread across the UK, supporting around 850 formerly homeless people. In addition, there are four Emmaus groups, all of whom are working towards setting up an Emmaus community in their area.
During the visit. Her Majesty toured the on-site second-hand shop, meeting staff and volunteers, before proceeding into the community home and the community kitchen.
Bobby Vincent House was the first community home opened by Emmaus SLC. The charity has since opened a further two community homes in Croydon. Bobby Vincent House is home to 27 Companions.
The Queen Consort also had the chance to hear more about Emmaus’s work in the UK to develop women-only provision and was told about how a women-only space is often important for women who have experienced homelessness.
In recent years Emmaus SLC has expanded its work into Croydon, where it offers additional community homes, and they are also looking to develop women-only provision, to cater for the specific needs of the increasing number of women who are now finding themselves homeless.
To finish the visit, Her Majesty visited the dining area where she met Companions over a cup of tea and a mince pie.
