End of an era as Burnley’s Emmaus homelessness shop closes

Emmaus Burnley’s Ivy Street Superstore opened in March 2011 thanks to funding raised by a small group of founders spearheaded by late former Burnley MP Peter Pike.

The charity shop kickstarted an Emmaus community in the town, supporting formerly homeless people and giving them a fresh start in life.

Director of Emmaus Burnley Stephen Buchanan said: “While we are always sad to say goodbye, we are incredibly proud of all the new beginnings supporters of Ivy Street Charity Shop helped create.

"Not least, the opening of Emmaus Burnley’s community building for people with experience of homelessness.

“From the late Peter Pike and the charity’s founding members to today’s volunteers and trustees who continue to show tremendous support for Emmaus Burnley, we would like to thank you for changing hundreds of lives for the better.

“Emmaus is always growing as a charity and we’re thankful to the people and businesses who continue to volunteer their time, skills and expertise to help more people regain control after reaching crisis points in life.”

Following temporary shop closures by the Government at the start of Covid, the decision was made to close the Ivy Street Superstore. Despite the closure, the charity is still collecting donations of good quality furniture to help fund the support of people at Emmaus Burnley’s community building.

In 2019, the charity was given the opportunity to run a much larger store in Rochdale Exchange Shopping Centre. The three floor Emmaus Department Store was an immediate success, stocking new and donated furniture, generating income to sustain the charity’s work whilst providing work and training opportunities to people supported by Emmaus Burnley.

Emmaus continues to provide accommodation in Burnley for up to 24 formerly homeless people at its Old Hall Street premises. Since it opened, Emmaus Burnley has helped hundreds of people regain self-esteem through tailored support and work-based training opportunities.

Starting in April, Emmaus Burnley also has a dedicated homeless outreach team, funded by the Freemasons, called Free Streets which works 5pm to 2am, five nights a week, supporting homeless people on the streets not just in Burnley, but across Lancashire.

Emmaus Burnley has places available to people who are currently homeless or at risk of homelessness. To find out more visit www.emmaus.org.uk/burnley