Salvation Army's plan for emergency accommodation

The Salvation Army is seeking to provide more emergency facilities for the homeless in Reading, a planning application shows.

The Christian charity's Willow House Lifehouse site in the town has about 50 bedrooms for specialised housing and support services for single adults experiencing homelessness or complex needs, such as mental health issues.

A plan for a modular building could help provide four "micro-flats", each with its own bed, toilet and washing facilities.

The NAPpad (Nighttime Accommodation Project) Project would help the charity work with Reading Borough Council to provide more emergency accommodation, the planning application states.

A planning agent from JYM Partnership, on behalf of the Salvation Army's application, said it would "provide an alternative form of accommodation for those…who may not thrive in the busy environment of the main service".

They continued: "The pilot NAPpad is...warm, safe and private – and embodies the values that the Salvation Army places on people who may otherwise end up sleeping rough."

The application will be decided in due course.