Breaking the Cycle: Skills for Life

Aim

To give people experiencing homelessness skills and financial confidence to build a secure, independent future.

Homelessness isn’t just about losing a roof — it’s losing hope and opportunity. At Emmaus, we provide a safe home, meaningful work, and vital skills to help people rebuild their lives and regain financial independence. Your support will double thanks to Aviva’s match funding.

Who are we, and what is our project about?

We are Emmaus SLC, a homelessness charity that believes in offering more than a bed for the night.
We provide a safe and supportive home for as long as it’s needed, giving people the space and stability to rebuild their lives.

Our residents work alongside our team in our Community and our charity shops.
Here they gain meaningful work experience, build confidence, and develop the skills to move on to independent living.

We go beyond immediate shelter to give people the tools they need to achieve lasting independence. We provide training, accredited courses, and one-to-one support in budgeting, debt management, and financial planning, ensuring people can manage money and sustain their progress when they leave us.

Why are we crowdfunding?

We’re crowdfunding to give 48 people experiencing homelessness access to training, education, and financial skills that can transform their lives.

For many, homelessness is tied to unemployment, debt, and lack of qualifications. Without targeted support, it’s easy to become trapped in a cycle of crisis.

With your help — and Aviva’s match funding — we can provide the opportunities and guidance needed to break that cycle.

This funding will help us run a year of financial literacy sessions and pay for accredited training

How we’ll spend the money raised

This project directly aligns with Aviva's Financial Wellbeing theme by equipping more than 48 individuals with the tools and knowledge to take control of their finances and build a secure future. The programme includes:

• General Financial Wellbeing sessions covering topics such as understanding money, setting financial goals, and planning for the future.
• Budgeting sessions focused on creating and maintaining personal budgets, managing expenses, and prioritising spending.
• Credit and Borrowing sessions discussing credit scores, responsible borrowing, and understanding financial products.
• Savings and Investing sessions introduce the concepts of saving, building emergency funds, and exploring investment options.
• Money Safety sessions on protecting against fraud, recognising scams, and ensuring financial security.

This will allow us to support each resident on their journey from homelessness to independence.

How you can help

There are two simple ways to support our project:

• Make a donation

Every pledge gets us closer to our goal, and with Aviva’s match funding, your donation will be doubled up to £250 per donor.

• Spread the word

Share our project with friends, family, and your wider network. The more people we reach, the more likely we are to succeed.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made