Tilia Homes has announced a second year of fundraising for Emmaus. Building on the previous year’s success, the support from Tilia Homes will help people who are rebuilding their lives after homelessness.
The new fundraising pledge will help to improve the sustainability of communities, grow social enterprises, and provide personal and professional development opportunities to companions across Emmaus communities in the UK. It will also be used across Emmaus to support people as they move away from homelessness.
Speaking about the renewed partnership, Charlotte Talbott, Chief Executive of Emmaus UK, said:
“We are always very grateful to partners, such as Tilia Homes, who show such commitment in their support and a real interest in the work that we do. We cannot thank them enough for choosing to support us once again.”
Building on last year’s success
Last year, the company raised £100,000 for projects that improve the sustainability of Emmaus communities. The impressive amount was raised by Tilia’s regional teams through fundraising days and events, as well as a matched gift from Tilia Homes.
The donation helped fund improvements at 16 Emmaus communities, making them more sustainable as well as improving comfort and wellbeing for the companions living in those communities. Some of the work funded includes installing solar panels at Emmaus Merseyside, Emmaus Hastings & Rother, Emmaus and SLC, new boilers at Emmaus Hertfordshire and Emmaus Glasgow, and replacement windows at multiple communities.
Making energy efficient improvements helps to reduce bills at a time when energy costs are increasing, as well as reducing environmental impact.
Mikey, an Emmaus Merseyside companion, spoke about the impact of the new solar panels. He said: “Everybody is aware of rising energy costs all over the world, and for a large building like ours, it’s impacted us a lot. We’ve all tried to be more savvy with saving electricity and having solar panels will mean we can save more money.”
In addition to the efficiency improvements, the works have benefited companions’ mental health and wellbeing too. Darren, a companion at Emmaus Mossley, had new windows fitted in his room as part of the community refurbishment.
He said: “I can now see clearly through my window and enjoy the views across the valley. It seems a lot quieter with the new windows, and I can close mine properly now, so hopefully my room will be a lot warmer in winter.”