A Bedfordshire homelessness charity has welcomed its new chief executive on board this week.
Donna-Louise Cobban joins Emmaus Village Carlton with a wealth of experience within the homelessness sector. She volunteered for Crisis around 10 years ago and became inspired by the determination and resistance of the people she supported.
“I will always remember one of the first men I spoke to who hadn’t had a proper conversation with another person for many weeks and was experiencing strong suicidal thoughts,” said Donna-Louise.
“This experience planted the seed in my mind that I knew I wanted to work in the homeless prevention sector.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Donna-Louise led support services at Wintercomfort for the Homeless in Cambridge, developing successful person-centred, trauma-informed services. This experience provided her with the necessary senior leadership skills for her first CEO role with Beyond Detention in Bedford, a charity that supports people impacted by immigration detention.
Donna-Louise said: “I led the organisation through a period of new strategic direction following the pandemic and helped set the focus for the charity with increased support services and community engagement.
“I am delighted to be returning to the homeless sector as Chief Executive of Emmaus Village Carlton, I have always admired the work that Emmaus does locally and nationally.
“No one chooses to be homeless lightly and I firmly believe that people need effective personalised support to recover both mentally and physically to rebuild their lives. I am excited to be able to do what I can to contribute to the ethos of Emmaus.”
Donna-Louise said she’s looking forward to supporting the development of the community for the companions, volunteers and staff from a support services perspective, as well as developing the retail and commercial opportunities in the organisation.
“I look forward to meeting our many loyal customers and supporters,” she said.
Emmaus Village Carlton supports up to 42 people who have experienced homelessness, with a home for as long as they need it, therapeutic support, and work experience in the charity’s social enterprises. Donna will be joining a team of staff working to support residents as they rebuild their lives.
Jeremy Reynolds, Emmaus Village Carlton’s Chair of Trustee, said: “Extending a very warm welcome to Donna-Louise on behalf of everyone at Emmaus Village Carlton. We’re very excited to have Donna-Louise on board and look forward to working with her to achieve continued success for our wonderful charity.”
Outside of work Donna-Louise volunteers with Bedford Samaritans where she is a listening volunteer and part of the outreach team, providing emotional support to people experiencing suicidal thoughts. The team also works with Bedfordshire’s emergency services to provide support and training on suicide awareness.
Originally from Edinburgh, Donna-Louise has been a Bedfordshire resident for the past 18 years. A keen runner, she has completed the Bedford Running Festival three times and enjoys long-distance walking with friends.
In her spare time, she also enjoys keeping fit in the gym and going to music gigs, as well as attending many of Bedford’s great community events throughout the year such as Bedford Park Concerts and the River Festival.
