by Timothy Elphick
CHIRSTMAS gift tokens sold on behalf of the homeless are to be offered for the first time by the Catholic Housing Aid Society (CHAS), it w as announced this week.
Robina Rafferty, the director of CHAS; said the idea had come from one of the society's supporters in response to the need to raise more money to counter the nationwide worsening in housing conditions.
The tokens, which come in amounts of £5, £10 and £20, are also available without a specified figure for those who would rather keep the extent of their generosity — whether large or small — a secret. Each is presented in a decorative folder explaining that, in lieu of an ordinary gift, you have made a donation to help CHAS.