A NEW NIGHT shelter will open its doors to support rough sleepers in Reading, thanks to homeless charity New Beginnings.
The service will start from Friday, December 3, and will be open three nights a week at The Queen’s Arms, on Great Knollys Street.
It will welcome those to use its premises between 8pm and 8.30am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
“We all know homeless has been an issue especially since lockdown began last year,” charity founder Grace Gomez said.
“We’ve been getting an increasing numbers of phone calls and people coming in to us needing a place to stay for the night.
“Now we want to make sure we open this night shelter in advance of the winter season so we can be there for anyone that finds themselves stuck.”
The charity already runs its community fridge service during the week.
It offers its café on Tuesdays from 6 to 7pm and Wednesdays from midday until 1pm for families and the elderly.
And on Thursdays and Fridays it offers meals from 6pm until 7pm.
New Beginnings is now encouraging more volunteers to come forward and offer their support.
“We really need more volunteers to help keep the shelter open,” Ms Gomez said.
And it will be offering new helpers to attend training sessions in November for those who wish to assist the charity’s services.
The training dates will be announced soon.
Ms Gomez said that the Reading community can also support New Beginnings by fundraising for the charity.
“To keep the building running, we rely on a lot of fundraisers and we always welcome people to put these together to raise vital funds for our services,” she said.
Having experienced homelessness first hand, Ms Gomez said it’s been “incredible” to support people as it’s something close to her heart.
“It’s a really valuable service and the lockdown has highlighted that the charity sector is so important,” she added.
“I want to provide somewhere safe for the community to come where they can enjoy a cup of tea or just have a chat and get to know each other.”
The future aim for the night shelter is to eventually be open seven days a week.
For more details, log on to: newbeginningsreading.org
