Hampshire’s unique solution to homelessness , Emmaus, is to offer a home, work experience and training for an Afghan refugee at its community in Winchester.

The community in Bar End of around 40 formerly homeless people, is providing an open-ended grant, under its Solidarity programme, for someone fleeing Afghanistan and who has arrived unaccompanied with no contacts in the UK.

The refugee will be provided with their own room in the recently built Lupton Rooms and gain work experience within the social enterprise which pays for the ongoing running of the community.

They will integrate with their fellow Companions and be provided with extensive lifestyle support along with a development plan so they can live independently in the future.

Nigel Samuels, chief executive of Emmaus Hampshire, said: “Our ethos has always been for Companions to give back to society acts of solidarity, recognising how their own lives have turned around for the better. They appreciate that many people, like those arriving from Afghanistan, face life in a far worse state than their own.”

Prior to the pandemic, Emmaus Hampshire Companions provided over £20,000 a year in free labour and furniture to support those in need locally and through charity events. They have also raised money for international causes such as the Lebanon crisis.

The charity is appealing directly to local organisations who may know of an individual in urgent need to contact them on info@emmaushampshire.org.uk or complete a Companion Application form online via their website www.emmaushampshire.org.uk.