New Garden Community Building revolutionises life at Emmaus Merseyside.

Emmaus Merseyside is an award-winning charity that provides a home, individual support, education, training, and work opportunities to people who have experienced homelessness.

Their purpose-built community building in Seaforth opened in 2016 and can house up to 28 companions (residents) at any one time. Everyone has their own room and access to communal dining, catering, social, exercise, garden, and training facilities.

Everyone in the Emmaus community contributes to their social enterprise, helping in the Charity Superstore, collecting and processing donations and delivering sold items.

The need

Emmaus Merseyside was looking to extend the support and range of opportunities they can offer within their community garden. They applied to CRASH for support with the creation of a multi-purpose community hub to provide new opportunities for their companions, local residents and people in need.

It was proposed that the hub will run as a community café to provide new learning and development opportunities to companions and act as a base for horticultural workshops and training. The hub would also provide a location to offer support to local residents in poverty and individuals experiencing street homelessness.

The project

Emmaus Merseyside applied to CRASH in March 2021. Corporate Patrons Arcadis, BAM, and Reds10 attended the initial project visit with the CRASH projects team. Arcadis produced a project report outlining the next steps, and BAM created a concept design for the building, which Reds10 refined.

It became clear that the ground earmarked for the building was contaminated, making the project a little more complicated than initially anticipated. GHD, part of Corporate Patron Galliford Try’s supply chain, undertook a contamination survey and made several recommendations, including a more extensive series of ground surveys. These were undertaken by an external company, LK Consult Ltd, and commissioned by Emmaus Merseyside.

After Basetec Piling completed the pile foundations and ring beam, Galliford Try continued to work on the project, coordinated the installation of drainage and ducting around the ring beam and excavated the ground around the multipurpose community hub to prepare it for the tarmac.

Reds10 supplied the modular units to create the community building itself, providing design input, advice and guidance to ensure the final designs were appropriate for their products. The unit entered production in late June 2024 and was installed on-site in early August. During this time, Corporate Patron Knauf Drywall supplied flooring materials for the modular units.

Site delivery was made possible with tuff track from Grassform and Heras fencing from Speedy Hire.

Throughout September 2024, Reds10 and Galliford Try worked together to connect utilities and power to the unit and close out final snagging items

Corporate Patron London Building Control was on hand throughout the project to provide guidance and ensure compliance.

As Emmaus Merseyside began fitting out the community hub itself, CRASH provided one last piece of support. Corporate Patron Taylor Wimpey provided a grant to purchase a Rational commercial oven to replace their faulty gas oven.

The outcome

This project will revolutionise the support Emmaus Merseyside can offer its companions and those in need locally. The building will provide a safe space for potential companions to meet the Emmaus team and receive support to prepare them for joining the Emmaus community.

The multi-purpose community hub will provide a space where Emmaus companions, volunteers, and staff can interact with the wider community and share the Emmaus ethos and way of life, as well as provide a dedicated space for workshops, training and community projects that Emmaus Merseyside will run in future.

The social impact