HIS MAJESTY’S Lord Lieutenant of Essex, Jennifer Tolhurst, showed her support for CHESS Homeless’ exciting bid to build dozens of new climate-friendly modular homes for the county’s rough sleepers.
King Charles’ personal representative was one of a number of VIPs in attendance at a showcase for the Turning Point project at Boreham House on Monday, February 5.
Mrs Tolhurst, the first woman to be appointed to the office in the county since it was established over 500 years ago, is a long-time supporter of the Chelmsford-based charity.
High Sheriff of Essex, Charles Bishop, was also in attendance to hear an update on the project from CHESS CEO Rob Saggs and Chair of Trustees Michelle Brown.
Other honoured guests included former CHESS Homeless service user Steve Crane and the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani.
The evening event was part of a busy 24-hour schedule for Mr Saggs as he was a guest on BBC Essex radio’s mid-morning show the following day to help further raise the profile of the fundraising drive.
He told host Ben Fryer how the project now only needs a commitment of £248,000 by mid-March 2024 to reach its £2.7million target (listen to the full interview here).
The charity hopes to build 24 new self-contained units, which come with a 60-year guarantee, at an existing facility in Chelmsford to provide invaluable support to some of Essex’s most vulnerable residents.
The development will rely on renewable energy sources and feature homes tailored for those with disabilities and serious health conditions (click here for more information about the project).
More than half of funding is from the government’s Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme (SHAP) and is dependent on the facility opening by March 2025.
If you or your company would like to make a donation, or if you would like more information, please call CHESS Homeless on 01245 281104 or email [email protected]