EMMAUS UK REPORT ON COMMUNITY-BASED LIVING FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE

Early day motion 1006, tabled 14 March 2002 by Lord Field of Birkenhead (Labour). Signed by 42 members.

That this House applauds the work of Emmaus, which provides community-based living and enables homeless people to move from sleeping rough and dependency on state benefits, to taking responsibility for their own lives; congratulates Emmaus UK for its report, New Lives, an independent evaluation of Emmaus communities in the UK, which usefully reviews the work of the charity and highlights the continuing need for projects like this to support homeless people; and notes that Emmaus communities are neither hostels nor training schemes, but offer a different kind of provision that marries safe accommodation and a family atmosphere with meaningful work, which both helps residents back into mainstream work, restoring dignity and self-respect, and helps the community to become self-sufficient; and believes that support for Emmaus represents an investment in real opportunities for rehabilitation.

Signatures by party: Labour 27, Liberal Democrat 8, Conservative 3, Labour/Co-operative 2, UUP 2.