Local Homeless Charity Having Funding Issues

Sanctus is a charity based in Chelmsford that has been supporting local homeless and vulnerable people for over 10 years from its 3-story building in Baddow Road. Up until November last year it was open 7 days a week 365 days a year.

Unfortunately, due to rising fuel prices, cost of living increases and a reduction in personal and corporate donations, the trustees were forced to have to come to the decision to close the doors to service users at weekends. The hope is that the measure will be temporary, but it’s meant they have had to redouble their efforts to reduce costs and bring new revenue in.

are some wonderful people in Chelmsford who regularly support the charity, both financially and via volunteering. In fact, Sanctus couldn’t survive without the fabulous generosity of volunteers.

So, what is it that they do at Sanctus?

The Café

On the ground floor of the building (which used to be a bank back in the day) is where the café is based, and is set up like most cafés with a serving counter, tea and coffee facilities and enough tables and chairs to seat around 60 people.

The café provides hot drinks all day, serves a basic breakfast (cereals, toast etc) in the morning, and a different hot meal every day freshly prepared onsite by trained chefs and volunteers. They also make sure that they serve the food direct to the table. It’s amazing how much this does for the customers’ self-esteem and confidence.

The customers are not charged a penny for this food, drink or shelter. The café offers an environment for anyone to come into, where they can feel safe, secure and wanted, and also offers a sense of community for people who are often mostly on their own, or who live in environments that are not in any way friendly.

The Hub

The Hub lies on the second and third floors and is where the people can come and use a variety of services tailored to help them get their lives back on track. This can be anything from helping with mental health issues, drug and alcohol addiction problems, domestic abuse, or helping any vulnerable person to overcome the myriad of problems they may be facing.

Although not offering accommodation within the building, they also find new flats/houses for homeless individuals and families. Often these will be single parents who have been battling domestic abuse. Outside agencies also use The Hub to provide much-needed services direct to their users. Examples are pop-up banks, health care checks, addiction clinics and a variety of mental health support services.

100% of Sanctus’ funding comes from personal, local corporates and fundraising activities. The charity also submits regular bids to large charitable trusts - though these trusts have been inundated since covid and support for Ukraine, so success rates have fallen. There

How Can You Help?

There are several ways you can help Sanctus - by donating money, or time by volunteering, or with items such as food, toiletries and tents. Or you can follow Sanctus on social media and sharing their posts to spread the word. Maybe take a tour of Sanctus to see the work in person. Finally, if you have a business or work for a company that has a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy, then we would love to work with you.

Sanctus is a relatively unknown oasis of hope for the vulnerable of Chelmsford. With any luck, and with the help and support of the people of Chelmsford, they will soon be back supporting vulnerable people 7 days a week.

How Can People Help Specifically?

Donate money: This can be in the form of a lump sum payment or a regular direct debit (always remember to add gift aid if applicable). You can do this via the website at sanctus-home.com.

Donate items: Look out on Sanctus social media (www.facebook. com/SanctusCharity) for what the charity needs at any particular time. Follow and share social media posts to spread the word. Volunteer: You can sign up to volunteer on the charity’s website. There’s also a video on the site that gives even more insight into what the charity does.

Corporate funding: If you own, or work for a company that has Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) within the company ethos, you can work with Sanctus to achieve those goals via funding, becoming a Sanctus sponsor, or employee volunteer days.

Take the tour: Sanctus always welcomes the chance to show people what it is the charity does and how it is an essential part of the support network for the vulnerable of Chelmsford. If you’d like a tour, just contact Sanctus via the website or social media, or email info@sanctus-home. com, or call 01245 257 985.

sanctus-home.com www.facebook.com/ SanctusCharity info@sanctus-home. com

01245 257 985

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