Alarm has been raised over a tent city in Reading town centre as evidence of homelessness on the streets is becoming hard to ignore.
In Broad Street, a makeshift structure made out of cardboard boxes appeared before being deconstructed last week.
A tent was spotted in the former bus shelter in the street.
But the biggest encampment can be found on the approach to the car park for Broad Street Mall.
Photos show six tents being placed in the encampment, which is sheltered by the Hexagon, San Francisco Libre Walk and the car park structure.
While in a more secluded location, the tents can be seen by anyone using the Broad Street Mall car park.
This comes following the death of Kepha Utondo, a 47-year-old man who was living in a tent in Great Knollys Street and Abattoirs Road.
Mr Otundo was reported dead on January 10 after being exposed to freezing weather conditions.
The appearance of the tent encampment near the car park has emerged after the council began a process to evict the people from Great Knollys Street.
The people voluntarily left the encampment before the eviction was enforced.
Since then, the council has installed fencing to deter further encampments, allowing for the creation of a ‘secure rewilding area’.
Flowers laid in memory of Mr Otundo can be seen through the fencing.
There have also been complaints about people living in tents in Portman Road from October last year.
A spokesperson for Reading Borough Council has been confronted with the photos.
The authority is considering what course of action to take.
The spokesperson said: “The council’s commissioned outreach team at St Mungo’s regularly engages with the small number of individuals camping down at this site, both to check on their welfare and to direct them to the accommodation and support the council and its partners make available to people sleeping rough in Reading.
“Alongside visits from St Mungo’s, there is continued support for people sleeping rough through the council’s Rough Sleeping Initiatives Team, winter shelters provided by the charity FAITH between January and March, and seven additional supported accommodation projects offering more than 270 bed spaces for single people and couples who are sleeping rough, or at risk it. These are all commissioned by the council.
“This is all in addition to the council’s SWEP (Severe Weather Emergency Protocol) response, triggered whenever temperatures reach zero degrees or below for three consecutive nights, which activates emergency accommodation to anyone sleeping rough, regardless of whether they have a local connection or access to public funds.
“The council would emphasise, however, that despite the accommodation being available and being offered, they are unfortunately not always taken up by people sleeping rough.
“The council is considering the possibility of eviction from this site, but our preference is always to seek a resolution through engagement and signposting to the comprehensive support services and bed spaces available in Reading for people have a local connection to the borough. Our goal is always to help and direct people to move into safe, stable accommodation and we do not advocate a dedicated area for people rough sleeping in tents due to the associated safety risks and the adverse effect of normalising rough sleeping.
“As always, we would encourage members of the public to report any concerns they have about someone sleeping rough via www.thestreetlink.org.uk which ensures outreach teams can locate them and quickly offer them support. People can also approach the council’s Homelessness Prevention Service directly at the Civic Centre on Bridge Street during opening hours, or call the team on 0118 937 2165 or 01344 351 999 in an out of hours emergency after 5pm or at weekends. More information can be found at www.reading.gov.uk/housing/homelessness.”
Grace Gomez, the leader of The Way Ministry, has called for a permanent night shelter to be established in the town to get rough sleepers off the streets.
She has campaigned for 13 years for a night shelter in Reading, and has suggested an empty building could be used for this purpose.
Mrs Gomez said: “There has been growing concern about the number of tents in Reading, but what many people do not realise is that a significant number of tents are hidden from public view.
“While some are visible, many more are tucked away in alleyways, wooded areas, and other overlooked spaces.
“This means the scale of homelessness in our town is often underestimated.
“At The Way Ministry, we believe it is vital to listen directly to those who are experiencing homelessness.
“That is why we are currently carrying out a series of interviews with people who are actually homeless, to better understand their realities, challenges, and what support would truly make a difference.
“From these conversations, one message is clear: temporary solutions are not enough.
“We are pushing for a permanent night shelter in Reading—a safe, consistent place where people can find warmth, dignity, and support, not just in emergencies but all year round.
“To move this forward, The Way Ministry Reading is holding a public meeting for anyone who wants to be part of the solution.
“This meeting is open to community members, churches, organisations, funders, and individuals who care about addressing homelessness in a meaningful and lasting way.”
The meeting will take place from 2pm to 3.30pm on Saturday, February 21 at the Fairview Community Centre at 90b, Great Knollys Street.
The Way Ministry Reading ran a night shelter in December 2023 from North Street.
Faith Christian Group’s “A Bed for A Night” scheme also ran from the same premises from January 2024 to March 2024.
Unfortunately, The Way Ministry Reading’s night shelter was unable to reopen in May 2024 due to unforeseen circumstances.
