Homeless Oxfordshire was saddened by the recent death of Chris Blount: active supporter and former Chair of Oxford Homeless Pathways (now Homeless Oxfordshire).
Chris generously gave 17 years of his life to supporting Homeless Oxfordshire, first joining the Board of Trustees of what was then called Oxford Night Shelter in 1996. He was elected Chair of Trustees in 2003 until he stepped down in 2013.
Lesley Dewhurst worked with Chris during her tenure as Director of Oxford Night Shelter between 2003 and 2015.
Photo: Chris Blount with Lesley Dewhurst
The changes Lesley and Chris oversaw together during that time were numerous, helping transition the organisation from its relatively humble roots as a night shelter to becoming a multi-faceted instrument of change for people experiencing homelessness.
These changes included:
- The demolition of the old night shelter building and construction of O’Hanlon House, whilst camping out in portacabins for over a year
- Partnership with Luther Street Medical Centre, delivering projects through the Oxford Homeless Medical Fund
- Significant expansion of Julian Housing and other second-stage accommodation, such as Vineyard in Abingdon
- Developing Housing First in Oxfordshire: one of the first places in the UK to do this
- Expansion of training, education and activities to enable residents to leave homelessness behind them for good
- Renaming of Oxford Night Shelter to Oxford Homeless Pathways (now Homeless Oxfordshire)
Lesley said:
“Chris was always there for me. He was always happy to step in and help wherever possible, but never to undermine myself or any other members of staff. A quiet, perceptive and gentle presence, he was ever-attentive and thoughtful. Chris’s input benefited the lives of hundreds of homeless people in Oxfordshire. I was privileged to have the benefit of his skills and experience, and was very sad to hear of his passing.”
Homeless Oxfordshire’s current CEO, Simon Hewett-Avison, said:
“We were deeply saddened to learn of Chris’s passing. While I didn’t have the privilege of working directly with Chris myself, as Chair of Trustees Chris helped steer this organisation through some of the most important years in its history and helped lay the foundations that Homeless Oxfordshire still stands on today. We are hugely grateful for everything he gave, and we will honour his memory by continuing the work he cared so deeply about.”
