Reading Borough Council has rejected a bid for a permanent night shelter just as it approved a new five-year homelessness and rough sleeping strategy for 2026–2031.
Rough sleeping and tents have become more visible across the town in the past year, with encampments reported at Great Knollys Street, the Broad Street Mall car park, Broad Street and Portman Road.
Two people sleeping rough in tents have died so far this year: Kepha Otundo, aged 47, and Genevieve Curwen, who was in her 50s. Their deaths prompted Grace Gomez, leader of The Way Ministry Christian charity, to press her 13-year campaign for a permanent shelter.
But the council effectively turned the idea down. Addressing calls for a permanent night shelter, Matt Yeo, lead councillor for housing, said: "The request for it is largely against national guidance. Even if we had one, there would still be people who would refuse to take up the offer, whatever that was.
"And in addition, if we were to do this, we would be putting together in one place a range of people with different and complex needs and circumstances.
"That includes things like addictions, PTSD, anxiety, those prone to violence, as well as those who are fleeing from it and are vulnerable.
"And if you tried to put everyone into one simple place, then you would not be able to do half or any of the things [in this strategy], which suggests people need to be in individual units and require individual support."
Cllr Yeo (Labour, Caversham) also told the council: "The council does not advocate for the operation of a year-round instant access shelter in Reading.
"National best practice and the government’s Operating Principles for Night Shelters state that permanent communal shelters should be exceptional, and that councils should prioritise self-contained accommodation.
"Permanent shelters can compromise privacy, fail to support long-term recovery, and risk creating dependency rather than progression."
Instead, the council backs FAITH Christian group’s 'a bed for the night' shelter from January to March each year, and says it maintains supported accommodation options with capacity for over 270 people, including six direct access spaces. These include the women-only Nova Project; the Caversham Road Pods; 36 beds at Willow House alongside 20 cluster-flat units; a 41-unit Young Person’s Service; Housing First and couples’ units for 37 people; the Accommodation for Ex-Offenders scheme; and more than 100 Working Towards Independence bedspaces across 20 properties.
Councillors unanimously approved the homelessness strategy at the meeting on Tuesday 10 March. The Way Ministry could still establish a permanent night shelter independently, but would need to acquire a building and obtain planning permission from the council.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
