Frequently asked questions

Your benefit entitlement depends on your circumstances. CHESS service users can obtain advice on their own cases either from us or from the Job Centre.

If you are in receipt of other benefits you may be entitled to Housing Benefit, although while you are resident with us it will be paid directly to us.

Over the years we have established sets of rules to help keep things running smoothly. We will explain them to you and give you a copy when you move in.

All residents are charged a rent but, for those who are not working, this is normally paid by Housing Benefit. There is also an additional charge of up to £3 a day to cover extra costs.

Residents in the Night Shelter are expected to keep their rooms tidy and take turns at washing up. Residents in the Annexe and the move-on houses are responsible for their own cooking and cleaning. Residents in the move-on houses are also responsible for looking after the gardens.

We will explain the general rules to you when you first start using the Day Centre. They are mainly designed to make sure we all respect each other, look out for each other and avoid any damage or misuse of the facilities CHESS provides. There are also rules relating to particular facilities (eg the computers) to make sure everyone gets a chance to use them.

No one under the age of 18 is allowed in the Day Centre, even if accompanied by a parent or guardian. Dogs may be allowed in at the discretion of the Manager.

Owing to space restrictions, there are no car parking spaces available for service users at the Day Centre or the Night Shelter. The parking arrangements at our other residential buildings are the same as those for other local residents.

Both the Day Centre and the Night Shelter have secure cycle storage facilities but these are in uncovered areas.

The CHESS allotment is in the Melbourne area of Chelmsford. What happens there is what happens on any allotment: we dig, weed, plant, complain about the pests and the weather and do our best to grow fruit and vegetables. Teams of staff, volunteers and service users do the work, usually meeting at the Day Centre to travel to the allotment by car. The food we grow is taken to the Day Centre and the Night Shelter.

Service users can and do often step in to do various unpaid tasks for CHESS, such as cooking, painting and helping out with the IT.

We are always delighted to welcome former service users back as regular volunteers. However, we recommend a break of three to six months before returning as a volunteer, so that you can become established in your new home and lifestyle first.

All our job vacancies are open to formerly homeless people with the right skills. Our present staff include people who were formerly homeless; one of them used to be resident with us. As with volunteering, though, we recommend a break of three to six months before applying for a job with CHESS.

CHESS is a very social place! All social activities are informal but there are plenty of opportunities for them - sharing a meal, playing pool, training with the football team or just sitting around chatting at the Day Centre.

Any answer we gave you this week would be wrong next week. At any one time we normally have between fifty and sixty active volunteers. It is not unusual for us to have a shortage of volunteers for particular tasks (eg sleeping over at the Night Shelter).

Volunteers are required to sign the same written code of practice as the staff members. Our Volunteer Office will give you details when you first meet them.

By prior agreement.

The parking facilities at the Day Centre and the Night Shelter are limited. You may be able to use a parking space when you are on duty but please speak to the relevant manager first.

Both the Day Centre and the Night Shelter have secure cycle storage facilities but these are in uncovered areas.

Once you have signed up as a volunteer, a staff member will show you round the building where you will be working, explain where things are and what you are expected to do, introduce you to other people and answer any questions you may have.

We do not operate a buddy system but you will have a named staff member with whom you can discuss any issues.

We do not have training courses of our own but there are a number of short external training courses on specific topics. If you would like to learn more about something you encounter or do as part of your work for CHESS, please speak to the relevant manager.

We have organised social events for volunteers in the past but these have been very poorly attended. Our annual general meetings, which usually take place in the autumn, provide your best opportunity to meet other volunteers.

In a sense we all are. More formally, public relations are the responsibility of the Executive, with help from the trustees and managers.

We have our own volunteer Webmaster, who also edits the Newsletter.

We have very good links with other local organisations in relation to matters where our interests overlap. Our links with local schools are not as strong as we would wish, although one or two secondary schools have been very active in supporting us and we are always willing to provide speakers for assemblies.

Telephone the Day Centre or the Night Shelter or send us an email.