Berkshire homeless charity given one week to leave premises

The closure has left the charity "homeless" Ms Brett said

A homeless charity is trying to find a new home, after being given one week to leave their current premises.

The Berkshire-based Brett Foundation provides meals, warmth and support for the homeless.

Charity founder Sue Brett said: "We didn't expect such short notice from the council."

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council said they needed to vacate as the multi-storey car park nearby is to be demolished.

The Broadway car park has long been scheduled for demolition as part of the Nicholson's Quarter redevelopment.

The car park closed at the end of last year and demolition is due to start Friday.

In 2018, the Brett Foundation moved into some vacant units underneath the car park, under a temporary tenancy-at-will with zero rent which means a tenancy can be terminated at any time.

The 1960s concrete structure is "beyond its economic life" and has structural failure, due to water ingress eroding the reinforced steel and needs to be demolished.

A council spokesperson said: "Unfortunately, it became necessary to firstly close, in December 2022, and then subsequently agree to demolish the car park sooner than anticipated for safety reasons."

'A bit of a shock'

"We're happy to help the Brett Foundation identify suitable alternative vacant premises in the town centre and have shared a list of vacant properties available", the council said.

Founder Sue Brett said the news came as "a bit of a shock" because, while the charity has been looking for a permanent home, she was under the impression that they "still had a lot more time".

Ms Brett explained that the charity has seen an increase in the numbers of people seeking help, including both refugees and families in the area.

She said: "We've got nowhere to go. Very, very kindly, Winter Hill Golf Club have given us some storage space, which is amazing.

"But we can't run [our] clothes bank from there. We can't run our meals from there."

She added: "We have so many families that we support and we still offer that support but I think we may have to trim down numbers because we're doing things literally from the back of my van."

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