The inspiring woman behind a night shelter that offers Reading's homeless population with somewhere safe to sleep has revealed she was moved to help others after her own struggles.

After four years of decreases in the number of rough sleepers, the number has risen for the first time since a peak in 2017.

The cost-of-living crisis is being blamed for pushing more people onto the streets as people struggle with their finances.

Reading is the second highest area in the South East for rough sleepers after London.

And walking through Broad Street on any given day, there are signs of homelessness everywhere - from sleeping bags in doorways to people going to the toilet in public. 

But behind the scenes there is an army of amazing volunteers and unsung heroes who are doing their best to tackle the issues head on.

As part of the Chronicle's investigation into the town's homelessness crisis, we have interviewed remarkable Grace Gomez.

Mrs Gomez, who runs the night shelter, said she felt the need to help people experiencing homelessness after finding herself in the same situation.

She said: “I found myself with nowhere to go at the bottom of Northcroft Road, and if my friend hadn’t taken me in I’d be in a really bad situation. I was only 17. It’s so important to help people in a time of need.”

Mrs Gomez noticed the need to have somewhere in Reading that people could go to at night, have a hot meal, a shower, and a safe space to sleep.

The night shelter is currently looking for volunteer hosts in the evenings and overnights. Click here to apply.

Fundraising manager at Launchpad, a charity tackling homelessness in the heart of Reading,  Fiona Keyte said that homelessness in Reading is getting worse due to the cost of living crisis and that landlords are just kicking tenants out.

“People suddenly find they have nowhere to go,” Ms Keyte said. “Homelessness can be caused by a multitude of different things, and without the right support they make poor choices.”

Ms Keyte said that Reading’s particular issue with homelessness is down to a number of factors. People may move to the area as asylum seekers thinking that they will find work but don’t.

“However, a lot of people you see on the streets aren’t necessarily homeless. We ask people to report them on the Streetlink app and instead of giving them money, give the money to a charity.

“This allows people with legitimate needs to be supported rather than fuelling drug and alcohol addiction. Not everyone asking for money is Homeless.”

Speaking to Outreach Manager Wendy Doods and Service Manager Nell Macaulay at St Mungos they said that they have outreach workers tackling homelessness in Reading everyday.

Wendy said that they have a very specific manner how they approach people. “We don’t tower over people, that’s intimidating for them. Some people engage with us and some people ask us to go away.

“The first contact is very important to get people to engage. Most people will remember that first contact.”

Nell acknowledged that people on the streets is a prominent issue, especially with regards to begging and anti-social behaviour.

“People automatically assume that they are homeless. That is the case for quite a lot of them but it isn’t the case for all of them. People who are begging may not necessarily be rough sleeping.

“There’s a load of complex needs that contributes to someone feeling like they need to beg.”

Both Nell and Wendy also urged the public to give their money to a charity rather than directly to someone begging.