Salvation Army Plans New Emergency Beds in Reading

The Salvation Army has applied to add emergency beds at its Willow House Lifehouse in Reading to help tackle rough sleeping.

Willow House, in the town centre, offers specialised housing and support for single adults with complex needs. It currently provides roughly 38-44 spaces, short-term assessment places and longer-term accommodation, and works with Reading Borough Council. The charity already helps during Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) and is a beneficiary of the Tap for Reading scheme.

The new NAPpad Night-time Accommodation Project would install a modular building with four lighted, heated micro-flats, each with its own bed, toilet and handwashing facilities. Each room will be equipped with 'signs of life' technology monitored from the main Willow House Lifehouse building. The modular unit is mobile, supplied by Protectal and has been used by other homelessness charities such as Shelter. The Salvation Army piloted the NAPpad in York and Jay, a former rough sleeper, said: If I was to be homeless, this would be a lifesaver.

Justifying the project, a JYM Partnership planning agent stated: "The NAPpad will be used to provide an alternative form of accommodation for those individuals who may not thrive in the busy environment of the main service and will also provide an improved service for those people who may need shelter in severe weather. "Severe weather provision is provided in the main building when temperatures are very low, very high, or there are severe rains, winds or storms. "The COVID-19 pandemic emphasised the need, not just for a safer alternative to the street, but also, for a safer alternative to dormitory-style night shelters and to traditional 'sit up' and SWEP services. The pilot NAPpad is very high specification; warm, safe and private - and embodies the values that The Salvation Army places on people who may otherwise end up sleeping rough."

The charity needs planning permission to install the unit. You can view the application by typing reference PL/26/0387 into the council's planning portal.

The Salvation Army also runs churches in Castle Street, Oxford Road and Lower Earley.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter