Referrals
Emmaus is not an easy option. On joining the Community Companions commit to volunteering for 40 hours per week, sign off front line state benefits and everyone lives by the principle of helping others to live, grow and find dignity through sharing, work and self-respect. The community does claim basic Housing benefit which is paid directly into the Community's account although not being entitled to this will not rule you out of having a place. In return for this, the community provides Companions with an en-suite room, all food and board together with a 'pocket money' payment of £40 and a saving of £8 per week is put away so that no-one leaves the community empty-handed. In addition alcohol and illegal drugs are not allowed on site. More information can be found in our leaflet 'Information for new Companions' which can either be downloaded from this site or sent to you by post.
Potential Companions can either refer themselves or can be referred by a third party (probation officer, support worker for example) with their permission. The first step should always be to talk to the Community's Senior Deputy, Jane Bain, about life at Emmaus Cambridge. She can arrange for you to receive an information pack, or you can download the documents here.
Once completed the forms can be returned to Jane either by mail or via email to
. Jane will acknowledge receipt of the form and then liaise with you regarding your application. At the moment we often have a waiting list which means that we may not be in a position to offer an immediate place.
It is important to advise Jane of any support needs you may have such as alcohol or drug dependency or mental health needs. As an organization we work closely with the local drug and alcohol support services so the offer of a place may be conditional upon securing their support. The information we ask for is to enable us to assess and put in place any extra support you may need. We try to give as many people as possible the opportunity to try Emmaus and it is rare for us to decline a place.
Emmaus Cambridge does not claim funding which is dependent upon a particular outcome or which places requirements such as a move-on policy on it. Consequently, Emmaus Cambridge offers a place for as long as you are happy to comply with the basic ground rules of the community. For some people this may be a matter of weeks or months, but for others this may be for longer or even forever. Moreover we accept that sometimes people make mistakes. It may be necessary to ask someone to leave if they are not ready for Emmaus. However, this will not be held against them and the door will be open for them to try again when they are ready to do so.
Referrals for serving prisoners are handled slightly differently. Please contact Jane in the first instance in plenty of time (at least two months if at all possible) before your release date.