EMMAUS SUFFOLK LIMITED

Emmaus Suffolk is a local independent charity, working with individuals at risk of homelessness, long term unemployment,  suffering with poor mental health and those experiencing higher than average levels of social isolation in the east of Suffolk.

All money raised in Suffolk stays in Suffolk and 87% of funds raised goes to our Charitable objectives.

We are working in areas of deprivation in East Suffolk. We support marginalised adults across a broad range of projects and initiatives all of which have been created in response to local need.  Our innovative business model creates social enterprises to generate a surplus to support our Wellbeing services and provide employment, volunteering and training experiences for those furthest from employment.  Our free to access Wellbeing services are available at a variety of locations 6 days a week. In 2022 we worked with 789 individuals across all of the above service areas this has increased by 25% to 1200 individuals in 2023 . We have seen a significant increase in service users whom are struggling with the cost of living crisis and are accessing our Wellbeing hubs for warmth as well as meaningful activities.

OUR SERVICES

We purposely deliver a range of services to create a broad offer for individuals in need including: 

• Drop in Wellbeing Hubs in Ipswich and Felixstowe offer beneficial creative activities for the beneficiaries.
• Providing volunteering and employment opportunities in our range of social enterprises.
• Subsidised meals at the Royal Oak Community Cafe
• Micro Supported Housing offer embedded in the local community, currently we have accommodation for seven individuals. 

This variety offers choice and control to individuals with the purpose of developing their skills to enable them to gain employment in the future and a sense of self-worth and dignity through having a self-supporting life.

Through offering volunteering roles within our social enterprises, we provide business opportunities and experience to give people the chance to rebuild their lives in a supportive enduring environment with related tasks through a work framework. 

Over 50% of our workforce has been recruited from our service users.  We work in partnership with other local service providers working in the sector; we tend to operate at the “prevention” end of the homelessness spectrum, in that we aim to make interventions to prevent people becoming homeless in the first instance. 

Emmaus Suffolk receives no statutory or core funding and generates over 50% of its income through its Retail and Community Café social enterprises. For areas of our work that can’t generate funds we apply for grants and carry out localised fundraising. Our long-term ambition is to generate 85% of our own income through trading. 

OUR IMPACT 

We have made considerable impact over the last year, we are working with more individuals than previously. Overall, we have accommodated 9 people, we have provided 398 volunteering and work opportunities. In addition, 85% of individuals we support have reported improvement in their mental health and wellbeing. 

Jacob, 32
 Jacob has been coming to a Wellbeing Hub for four months. He is a wheelchair user with multiple disabilities.

Jacob said: “I get positive feedback here everyday, I’ve been coming for the last few months when I am in the mood for it, I struggle to go to many places with my wheelchair. Coming here gives me something to do, I haven’t got funding for an afternoon support worker so coming here means I can be independent but still feel safe. I like making new friends here. 

I get positive feedback everyday here.  I’ve been coming here just four months. It gives me a chance to socialise and it helps me to be independent, I am struggling with my social workers at the moment and the team here have really helped to support me and it feels like they understand my needs.”

“The Emmaus Suffolk Hub is a space where I feel most comfortable, the place is a life line. My health recently has improved the more I get out the healthier I am and so I have been using the Emmaus Suffolk offer to help me have a destination to aim for. Everyday is a different day here the team are so creative. I come here to take part in the workshop and I am talking to them about volunteering. 

With my complex disabilities and being a wheelchair user there’s a real lack of volunteering opportunities that can accommodate me and that are open to having me, Something I have experienced so many times before. The benefits people have been on my case to find employment and the team at Emmaus have supported me, it’s been a very traumatic and they have always supported me through this difficulty.”

OUR WELLBEING HUB PROJECT

We are operating our free to access Community Wellbeing hub in areas of priority need in Suffolk. These are locations that we have strategically placed ourselves to provide vital support to communities in the most need, the locations are as follows:

Carr Street, Ipswich Town Centre – Five days a weekOffering creative craft activities, games, puzzles and a help yourself shelf of ambient food.The Royal Oak Community Cafe, Racecourse Area, Ipswich – Three days a week.Offering Kids and Carers lunch club for families of pre-school childrenFriends and Fables – a route to build new social connections with your neighbours.Singing for the soul; an all ability singing group Felixstowe, Great Eastern Square –  1 day a week.Offering creative craft activities, games, puzzles and a help yourself shelf of ambient food.Dales Road, Ipswich – 1 day a weekOffering free lunch panini and creative craft activities.

 
 The Community Well Being Hub Project offers daily sessions every week for individuals experiencing social isolation, who need a caring and welcoming community to spend time with.  The Community Hubs offer a curated range of opportunities in a safe, warm space, alongside drop in cuppa and chat.   Feedback has been extremely positive since re-opening and expanding this service from the beginning of 2022.

Beneficiaries told us: 

• “The best part for me is the company and understanding that staff have for me and my situation, coming to these sessions is the only time in the week when I see other people. The staff always have time to listen to my worries and they always welcome me. Otherwise I am looking at the same four walls of my flat – alone”  
• “Not being out and about is very hard for me. I used to go a regular coffee shop where I met other regulars. Over the last few months I’ve had to spend that cup of coffee money on my electric key to keep me going. If I hadn’t found the Royal Oak venue I’d have lost all contact with others. Being on my own is really isolating and previously loneliness has caused me to have a mental breakdown. The team here have given me support and tools that help me to understand myself better and how to look for the warning signs”.

At Emmaus Suffolk our ethos is one of self-responsibility for improving difficult situations and making health and wellbeing changes. We do this by helping participants to feel that they belong and that their contribution to the community is valued, we will encourage participants to regain employment through building their confidence and self-esteem.  Through supported daily sessions at our Wellbeing Hubs we engage individuals in a variety of activities that utilises our successful approach consisting of participation of individuals in a range of activities;   providing our beneficiaries with additional validation, boosting their self-esteem and moving towards employment or regular volunteering activity locally. 

Emmaus Suffolk is not an advice service. Our focus is on building trust and providing supported advocacy on a 1:1 bases as required working with specialist partners.  This approach enables the Wellbeing Team to provide intense support where needed to enable participants to make progress. Ie identifying a debt issue, asking if they need help – arrange appointment with CAB – go with attendee to appointment – support attendee to implement CAB recommendations and embed learning.  This relationship takes time to build, develop and maintain.  Last year our Wellbeing team identified and supported 260 hidden issues with 1923 separate interventions.