Reading to get temporary pod homes for rough sleepers

The temporary units will be located in the Cattle Market car park

Pod homes for Reading's rough sleepers are due to arrive in the spring in a £2m project to tackle homelessness.

The 40 new temporary modular homes will be manufactured off-site and then erected at the Cattle Market car park in Great Knollys Street.

The units, which will be insulated and heated, will be stacked two high with external stairs to the upper pods.

People living at the site will have access to intensive 24-hour support, Reading Borough Council (RBC) said.

Rough sleepers currently housed in B&B accommodation during the pandemic will be rehomed at the site in an attempt to end the cycle of rough sleeping.

Councillor John Ennis, the council's housing lead, said RBC had acted "swiftly and decisively" to identify rough sleepers last year, getting more than 260 people safely into temporary accommodation at the height of the pandemic.

He said the new government funding provides an opportunity to "truly help rough sleepers rebuild their lives with long-term accommodation and the right level of support".

Mr Ennis explained: "It is only by providing a safe and secure base, that people can begin to think about turning their lives around.

"Very often individuals will have highly complex needs which require not only a roof over their heads, but wrap around support and tailored services to work with them on a one-to-one basis and at the pace they need."