Eight former homeless people are making successful first steps rebuilding their lives at a new charity.

The Emmaus charity, which has communities across the country, has recently opened a new centre in in Oxford Road, Cowley, which gives homeless people somewhere to stay and jobs.

Eventually 24 people will live there but the centre has restricted its first intake to seven men and one woman.

They have been given jobs either at the charity’s second hand superstore in the Northway estate or working in the kitchen at the new centre.

Deputy community leader Andy Bache, who himself was helped by the charity, said: “It has been going brilliantly.

“It means a lot to them because they understand we are about trying to help rebuild their lives and prepare them for the outside world again.

“They are gelling well and enjoying being part of the community.”

The centre cost £2.4m and is owned by Dominion Housing Group, which contributed £400,000 towards construction. It is renting the it to the charity.

The rest of the money came from the Housing Corporation, which contributed £1.4m, and the Community and Local Government fund, which put up £600,000.

Homeless people are referred to Emmaus by local organisations. Once they have joined, the charity describes them as ‘companions’.

Mr Bache was homeless when he joined Emmaus at the community in Greenwich, London, three years ago. He worked his way up to be a community support worker and then deputy community leader in Oxford.

He said: “Anybody deserves a chance.

“The majority of our guys have been rough sleepers and there are companions who maybe didn’t used to laugh a lot but now they crack jokes, they feel wanted and part of something which they haven’t felt for a long time. There are some big changes in people and that’s just within the first month.”

Emmaus will gradually increase the number of people at the centre to a maximum of 24.

As well as giving them a place to stay and work, the charity will be providing training in things like health and safety, kitchen hygiene, first aid and customer care.

Former Beirut hostage — and Emmaus UK president — Terry Waite dug the first foundations of the building in March 2008.

Plans for a centre in the city originated from a letter to the Oxford Mail’s sister paper The Oxford Times in 1996 from Jean Williams, asking if anyone would be prepared to set one up.