Reading homeless shelter shares concern about its closure

A night shelter for people experiencing homelessness has seen the number of visitors increase

The founder of a homeless shelter has expressed concern about what will happen to people it helps after it closes.

The Way Ministry in Reading has run a Christmas night shelter at All Nations Christian Centre since Christmas Eve but it will end on New Year's Day.

"It's been a privilege to be there but concerning what's going to happen when we close," said founder Grace Gomez.

"The numbers have been picking up and we had 12 people in last night."

The Way Ministry offers a hot meal, clothing and support to people who are homeless and experiencing financial hardship in Reading.

It has been using space at the All Nations Christian Centre as a shelter, with the reception transformed into a welcome centre for visitors.

"Words can't really describe how amazing these volunteers are," said Luke, who is staying at the centre

Luke, 28, is currently homeless and said it had been "fantastic to wake up to friendly people".

"Words can't really describe how amazing these volunteers are over the Christmas period… helping us people struggling.

"I really hope there's somebody out there who can help the homeless, give them a building or fund something or set up a charity."

"There really needs to be somewhere that people can go," said Ms Gomez, founder of The Way Ministry

"I was homeless when I had to flee domestic violence in the middle of the night," Ms Gomez told the BBC.

She said someone offered her a place to stay but added, "if my friend hadn't taken me in at that time, where would I have gone?"

The shelter will close on 1 January

Ms Gomez said she is looking for a permanent place to run the night shelter from in 2023, such as a converted warehouse.

"It's all very well putting people up at Christmas but it's going to be awful turning out on New Year's Eve knowing that they've got nowhere to go.

"There really needs to be somewhere that people can go," she added.