This photo-essay, shot in the spring of 1995, is about the Emmaus homeless community in Plumstead, south London.

Emmaus was founded in Paris in 1949 by a French cleric and MP Abbe Pierre. It is as much an institution in France as Oxfam is in Britain, but it is still virtually unheard of here. The aim is to provide a community for the single homeless which supports itself. This is achieved through the resale of donated household goods, refurbishment and repair of furniture and electrical items, and the provision of gardening and site clearing services.

The Emmaus communities work on five basic principles; they are open to anyone, irrespective of background or belief; each member works to his or her ability for equal reward - food, clothing, shelter, and a modest cash allowance for personal needs; the community helps others in need; there is no commitment as to length of stay; once functioning, each community is self-supporting by selling recycled or recirculated goods.

In forty years Emmaus has grown and under the auspices of Emmaus International there are now over 360 secular communities worldwide in 42 countries. The first to be opened in Britain was the Landbeach site in Cambridge in July 1992. In June 1994 a second site in Coventry opened its doors. Emmaus Greenwich is the third, and the first to open in the capital. At the time the story was shot there were plans to open further communities in Dover, Edinburgh, Gloucester, Brighton, Sheffield and Manchester.

One of the reasons Nik was drawn to do this project was that it was a way for homeless people to help themselves, like the Big Issue. There was too much negative press about homelessness. Nik wanted to show something positive, something which showed people helping themselves. As Joe Lee, the administrator, told him,

"It is more about bringing out the skills that people have, and giving them the encouragement to use them. To give them a bit of dignity back, a bit of self-worth. Let them take responsibility for their own lives."