TWO night shelters to help people without a home get through winter launched in Reading earlier this week.
For the first time since the covid pandemic, Faith Christian Group is opening its Bed4TheNight scheme.
It does exactly as its name implies: provides a bed overnight during some of the coldest months of the year. Volunteers from churches across Reading take it in turns to run the shelters, offering a warm evening meal, clean clothing, showers, snacks and a breakfast.
Working with St Mungo’s and Reading Borough Council, Faith can also help link up its clients with appropriate agencies to ensure they can access support and look to move into long-term accommodation and get back on their feet.
This year, the project is holding two versions. One is for rough sleepers, and the other for people who have been granted permission to stay in the UK after having their asylum claim approved by the government.
Faith’s director, Andy Dickens, said people staying are referred to by agencies such as St Mungo’s, and there was a need to support those who had come out of the asylum process .
“Once they get the right to stay, the responsibility transfers from central government, who had been putting them up in hotels and B&Bs, to local government. Some people slip through the gap. Some are evicted from where they are staying.”
With 56 days until their Universal Credit claim is approved, this can put additional pressures on them, and this is where the Bed4TheNight scheme can help. They are working with Care4Calais’ resettlement team and Reading City of Sanctuary to ensure it is a success.
Mr Dickens said ahead of Monday’s launch: “I’m very excited, very daunted, and feeling overwhelmed as well. The need is immense and growing.
“It is great we can meet a need and serve the town, but I feel daunted by the need. I have been praying and it’s coming together.”
Previously, Bed4TheNight used a different church each evening. This year, they are operating from the same place throughout, with volunteers from churches taking turns to help. Each volunteer received specialist training before Christmas and the rough sleepers project is overseen by Louise Cross, who has helped with the scheme since 2016.
While the volunteers and team behind the project are Christians, they work with people of all faiths and none to support those who need help.
“We’re responding to a need, we’re responding because we’ve got the love of Christ inside us. We want to show His love, His grace and His mercy to people that typically will be pushed to the bottom of society and overlooked,” Mr Dickens said. “We want to demonstrate and show Christ’s love to them. That’s why we want to do it.
“For the people who stay, it gives them stability, it helps open up a pathway that can get them into housing during or after the three months we are open.
“In 2019, we managed to get most people into some form of accommodation, helped by the Salvation Army and Launchpad.
“We open a pathway for the council and St Mungo’s to come and work with people. They come in and chat with people, have dinner with them. The environment has changed, the walls come down.”
Faith is running the schemes in faith and welcome donations.
“We’re underwriting everything, covering all the costs. I’m hoping it will work out,” he said.
A donation button is on their website.
Faith Christian Group also runs Reading’s food bank, ReadiFood, as well as a soup kitchen, called ReadiStreet.
For more details, or to offer help or seek it, log on to: abedforthenight.org.uk
