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£20,000 lifeline

from Essex

Freemasons

following the

“perfect storm”

A leading Colchester charity,
dedicated to helping the homeless

back into the community, has been
given a £20,000 lifeline by Essex
Freemasons, following what could
only be described as a perfect storm.

mmaus, which has been helping the homeless across north Essex for more than 20 years, had been hit by a
‘triple whammy’ of events over the last nine months following the Covid-19 pandemic which saw funding dry up,
Eborrowings increase and reserves seriously diminished.
The situation was made even more difficult by the closure of other charities operating in the Colchester area because of
Covid, resulting in a massive increase in workload for Emmaus as the only organisation in the area able to still provide a
service for the growing number of homeless.

“It would not be wrong to describe this as a perfect storm,” said Denise King, Chief Executive of
Emmaus. “Under normal circumstances we would have received funding via our own charity shops,
but these have also had to close during the pandemic and like all charities, we have also been
affected by a drop in donations during this difficult period. We literally only had enough funds to
stay open for 3 more months, so this donation has provided an amazing lifeline”

“I cannot say how welcome this money is, which will be used to pay for specialist staff. We are not
simply a charity that provides people with a bed for the night. We work hard to bring the socially
excluded back into the community and off the streets permanently.”

The £20,000 was donated via the Masonic Charitable Foundation, the Freemasons own Charity and was part of a £1
million grant awarded nationally to combat homelessness and rough sleeping.
VW.Bro. Paul Reeves, Deputy Provincial Grand Master in
Charge, commented:

“As part of the local community we always strive
to ensure that charitable money is given where it
is needed most. Emmaus do some unbelievable
work to get people off the streets and eventually
into their homes. They literally change lives and I
am pleased we have been able to help.”
Such is the need to help the homeless, Essex Freemasons
are now looking at ways to help similar charities in other
parts of the county. An announcement offering further
support is expected in the New Year.
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