The Harpur Trust has granted a £30,000 funding boost to the homelessness charity, Emmaus Village Carlton to support the building and garden redevelopment of The Dom Gregory building.
Since 2002, Emmaus Village Carlton has been helping people who have experienced (or been at risk of) homelessness find a place where they can enjoy companionship and find support.
Residents, otherwise known as companions, are given the chance to gain skills and confidence with work opportunities in the community’s three charity branches: in the warehouse, in the bistro or within the maintenance team.
The site has 42 rooms for companions, with plans to continue expansion. When a companion wants to move on, he or she will be assisted to find accommodation and work.
The Dom Gregory Building is the charity’s main administrative building, named after the founder of the site in Carlton.
The £30,000 grant has been gifted by The Harpur Trust, which has been inspiring and supporting the people of Bedfordshire for over 450 years.
The charity provides funding for vital local projects, schools and vulnerable community groups with aims to support, promote and provide education to the underprivileged as well as offering accommodation for Bedford’s older people.
Donna-Louise Cobban, Emmaus Village Carlton’s chief executive officer, said: “I’m thrilled and extremely grateful to The Harpur Trust for their generous grant which will help us with this vital project.
“This grant will also help us to landscape the surrounding gardens to make the environment pleasant and inviting for our companions and enhance their wellbeing.”
Lucy Bardner, Community Programmes director at The Harpur Trust, said: “We’re really proud to support the work of Emmaus in helping people who have experienced homelessness, by providing them with a home and meaningful work in a community setting.
“Our grant will fund the refurbishment of an existing building at Emmaus to create a venue that is fit for purpose and can be used for the companions’ wellbeing, recreation, training and also to improve existing admin facilities.
“Supporting the local community through our grants programme is a core part of what we do at The Harpur Trust. We also fund a number of other projects in the borough tackling homelessness.”
