Will you support an Emergency Shelter for the homeless this winter?

Each winter when the temperature falls below freezing, Launchpad and our partners provide emergency shelter for rough sleepers in Reading.

This strategy, the Severe Weather Emergency Provision (S.W.E.P.), provides a hot meal, warm clothes, a space to wash, and a warm, safe place to sleep when it’s most needed.

We need Volunteers to join our rolling on-call rota for an evening each week. When S.W.E.P. activates, the Volunteers will sign in, chat with and generally make the S.W.E.P. users feel welcome at the Shelters.

Volunteers should be warm, friendly people; good listeners; able to remain calm under pressure and happy to be called upon at relatively short notice.

The Volunteers will receive a bespoke Volunteers’ Guide, basic training and an on site Induction. Volunteering will be at Town Centre locations, with free parking available. Reasonable Travel Expenses will be paid.

S.W.E.P. is temperature dependent. Volunteers will be allocated an evening on a rolling on-call rota, and will only be called upon when S.W.E.P. is activated.