When we opened our doors for the first time in April 1993, Emmaus Coventry & Warwickshire was one of the first Emmaus communities to open in the UK.
Local man Tim Brooke first heard of Emmaus when he was a student volunteering for the charity in France. Fast forward to 1992, as the organisation branched out to the UK, Tim decided to gather local support from the Coventry Council of Churches Homelessness Commission to establish an Emmaus in his local area.
Tim has been a trustee at Emmaus Coventry & Warwickshire ever since:
“In the early days our first job was the big task of finding a building and hiring staff.
“In fact it took us only four months to find a building – quite an achievement! I have always been very excited about the idea of Emmaus; it’s not just an ordinary homelessness charity. We don’t just give people a bed for the night, we give them a reason to get out of it.”
The Old Vicarage (our community accommodation building) is one of the oldest buildings in Coventry with parts of it probably dating back to the 15th century.
Our first Coventry charity shop opened in 1993, raising vital funds for the community. It’s changed premises a few times and our main store, specialising in furniture and household goods, is now located on Red Lane in Coventry.
In 2023 we celebrated our 30th anniversary.
Emmaus Coventry & Warwickshire is one of 29 Emmaus communities across the country, supporting more than 850 people who have faced homelessness in the UK. There are also three Emmaus groups which are working towards setting up an Emmaus community in their area.
Find out more about Emmaus in the UK
Emmaus isn’t just in the UK, in fact it originally started in France in the 1940s. Since then Emmaus has grown into an international movement with more than 420 groups based in 40 countries across the world.
Find out more about the history of Emmaus.