On Sunday 18th September 2022, 10 individuals will be bravely challenging themselves to jump out of a plane in an effort to raise money for Sanctus.

About Sanctus:

Sanctus is a charity supporting homeless and vulnerable people in Chelmsford and the surrounding areas. We are the only day-centre in mid Essex catering for this client group, open 7 days per week, 365 days per year.

The purpose of our organisation it to provide a centre in the heart of the city where individuals, with various complex needs, can come and receive food and support. This is a community space, which we invite other key service providers to utilise, to generate a holistic approach to supporting individuals.

We believe that everyone should have a safe and secure home, food on the table and network of support. Our aim is to be there for vulnerable people at a moment of crisis and provide them with the necessary help. From this moment, we then work alongside them in their journey to help them to take steps to lead a positive life. Referrals to other services can often take time, which leaves individuals in an extremely vulnerable state. At Sanctus, we are able to provide immediate support in these interim periods and continue to provide support alongside other services.

What is unique about our services, is there is no criteria to receive our support. Our work is person centred, meaning we tailor our support offering to each individual. We aim to help vulnerable individuals to build confidence and trust in support services, so they can receive help both from us and other agencies and statutory services.

Homelessness is not a lifestyle choice, there are those who try to convince you otherwise, it is barely a life at all. People are homeless for lots of reasons fleeing domestic violence or sexual abuse, loss of a job, loss of a partner or family member, leaving the care system with few resources, being in addiction or being mentally ill to name a few.

At Sanctus, we dont just help the homeless, we help people avoid evictions to keep them housed, we help those fleeing domestic abuse, we help people housed but with mental health or other medical issues, we help those sofa surfing, ex-offenders, those with benefit issues or struggling with their finances. We are also rapidly increasingly helping those suffering from the cost-of-living crisis, trying to prevent people moving into more severe situations. Prevention is a crucial part of our process. We can only achieve all this through your donations.

We are incredibly grateful for every donation to Sanctus, large or small, your donation makes a huge difference and helps us to keep our doors open 365 days a year. These funds could help pay for the following:

£3.89 - Could provide a freshly cooked, hot meal for a homeless and/or vulnerable person.

£5 Could pay for transport for someone to attend an important appointment.

£15 Could offer someone an initial needs assessment to ensure early intervention.

£25 Could provide specialist advice and support from a Sanctus staff member to help someone to turn their life around.

£50 Could buy essential items for someone after being rehoused.

£100 Could provide someone with 1:1 support across multiple sessions to help them with any challenges they may be facing including, accommodation, addiction, mental health, domestic violence, benefits issues and returning to work.