A SPECIAL visit by The High Sheriff of Worcestershire Louise Hewett was made to The Basement Project in Bromsgrove to welcome the charity’s Chief Executive Officer.
Caleb Mallard joined on January 29 following the departure of former CEO Jerry Robinson in December.
Mr Mallard has a wealth of experience, having worked for the Genesis Trust for eight years, supporting homeless and vulnerable people in the Bath area. He worked his way up from a volunteer to operations manager and developed the innovative Pathways Programme – four mentoring streams covering home, wellbeing, work, and money to support clients to become empowered and independent.
Prior to joining The Basement Project, Mr Mallard was Client Services Manager at Thrive Birmingham, a charity which helps disabled and disadvantaged people to make positive changes to their lives through the therapeutic benefits of gardening.
Mr Mallard said The Basement Project’s values and approach aligned with his belief that, where possible, preventative support was far better than intervention.
“Breaking the cycle of homelessness poses considerable challenges, making prevention a more effective approach.”
Ms Hewett added: “I was delighted to visit The Basement Project and meet Caleb, Marina and the team over a morning cuppa.
“This is a brilliant charity which does wonderful work helping young people aged 25 and under.
“Caleb’s enthusiasm will bring fresh ideas to the charity and help develop the excellent job they are doing across the county.”
More about The Basement Project
The Basement Project supports young people who are in crisis, homeless or at risk of homelessness, resolving the many contributing factors such as tenancy retention, finances, relationships, mental health and wellbeing and employability.
The three main areas of delivery are a floating support service, in the home or local community, a drop-in service and contact centre at the charity’s Hanover Street base and a foodbank to support young people and families in financial hardship.
Under the leadership of Mr Mallard, and with the generous support of the local community and funders, The Basement Project is working towards increasing capacity for more people to access the important services.
Anyone wanting to find out more about The Basement Project or interested in donating should visit basementproject.org or call 01527 832993.
