Sanctus is a charity based in Chelmsford and was set up to provide food and support services to the homeless and vulnerable both in Chelmsford and the surrounding areas. We are open 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We provide a hot meal, drinks and snacks to those in need. Our café also distributes clothes, tents, sleeping bags, toiletries, sanitary products and other essential items. In addition to this, we have a range of wider support services which are completed in our “Hub”, including, 1-2-1 mentoring and counselling, assistance with housing and benefits applications, furnishing the homes of the newly housed, addiction and mental health support, CV writing and training courses, tenancy sustainment programmes, and a range of advice and advocacy services. Our service user base is 200-250 people, all with a range of complex needs. Our aim is to prevent homelessness by helping vulnerable individuals to take positive steps for their future.
Our service user base is typically made up of, the homeless, hidden homeless, those at risk of or recovering from homelessness, sofa surfers, those with mental health and addiction struggles, ex-offenders, veterans from across the service, the elderly who cannot support themselves, individuals with various disabilities, violence suffers or those at risk of this, as well as individuals with a range of health issues. We know through a tried and tested approach and lessons learnt that the way we currently operate means we can reach some of the most marginal and vulnerable individuals in our community.
We cover the whole of the Chelmsford, including surrounding areas such as: Stock, Braintree, Great Leigh’s, Margaretting and several surrounding villages.
