Emmaus Burnley’s steering group formed in 2005 with the aim of opening an Emmaus community to alleviate homelessness in Burnley.

Spearheaded by former MP Peter Pike, the group successfully bid for a grant from the Department of Communities and Local Government. This allowed Emmaus Burnley to purchase and renovate Booth Court, which had previously been flats for older people.

The site was renamed Emmaus House, and when another funding bid was successful, it allowed the group to employ the support staff required to be able to accommodate our first companions.

Emmaus Burnley officially opened in January 2011, becoming the UK’s twentieth Emmaus community, twenty years after the first. The Emmaus Burnley community gradually built up to its full capacity of 24 companions and we are working towards a point where the income from the social enterprise will be able to fully sustain our charity through the sale of new and secondhand goods from Emmaus Department Store, OL16 1EA.