How to help a homeless person on the street in cold weather
Being out in the cold can be dangerous, especially if you have nowhere else to go. Here’s how you can help a person experiencing homelessness this winter.
It’s not just rough sleepers who may find themselves out in the cold. Nicholas was a postgraduate student and management accountant for sizable companies in the North West. After trying and failing to receive benefits for his disability, he began sofa surfing with friends in 2009. Image: Centre for Homelessness Impact
Share
Cold weather is enough of a health hazard in these times of expensive energy bills but if you are experiencing homelessness it can be deadly.
Homelessness is bad enough for health in the best of weather – official statistics show 741 people died while homeless in England and Wales in 2021 – but sub-zero temperatures and icy conditions make sleeping rough on the streets truly dangerous.
With climate change meaning extreme weather events like 2018’s Beast from the East blizzards are likely to happen more frequently, it’s important to know what to do to help people out on the street if you’re out and about. Your intervention could save a life.
A warm greeting can make a big difference but so can asking what the person might need. The offer of a hot drink or food can go a long way as can the offer of a woolly hat, gloves or a warm coat.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Lots of organisations around the country collect warm coats to distribute to people who need it while charity shops can offer a cheap alternative.
Maybe the person you meet will decline the offer of any help. That’s okay. The important thing is to speak up and ask the question in the first place.
Check if Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (Swep) is in place
When temperatures fall below 0°C, councils open up emergency accommodation to give people who are sleeping rough a warm place to take shelter. This is known as the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol, abbreviated to Swep.
As well as opening up additional indoor spaces, the protocol sees frontline outreach teams step up shifts to ensure no one is left out on the street.
Plenty of local authorities brought Swep into operation in response to the latest cold snap after the Met Office issued a cold weather warning alert on January 16.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced the protocol would run across London where it is reviewed daily. Swep was previously in operation for a 12-day period in December when more than 600 Londoners were moved indoors.
Swep was also introduced until January 18 in places like Oxford and Reading while councils in Bristol, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole committed to the cold weather plans until January 20.
Hannah Faulkner, head of rough sleeping services at homelessness charity St Mungo’s, said: “These low temperatures can kill people who are street homeless and it is absolutely right this is treated as an emergency.
“During periods of cold and extreme weather it is essential that members of the public, people experiencing homelessness and other support services are all aware that additional accommodation and support is available.”
If you see someone out on the street in the cold, check with your local authority to see if Swep is in operation.
StreetLink is an app and website that lets members of the public in England and Wales alert local outreach teams to the location of people sleeping rough.
The service, which has been running for a decade and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, helps to connect people experiencing homelessness with support services that can help them.
StreetLink has been widely adopted and Mayor of London Khan encouraged Londoners to download the app or use the service’s website if they are concerned about someone during the latest cold snap.
It is worthwhile having the app downloaded on your smartphone if you have one and if you spot someone and you are concerned for their welfare, it’s worth filing a report on the app.
Of course, if the person you meet on the street is showing signs of being unwell then calling the emergency services should be the first course of action.
If you are concerned about someone sleeping rough who is under 18 years of age, StreetLink also advises that you contact the police rather than alerting the service.
The Big Issue’s #BigFutures campaign is calling for investment in decent and affordable housing, ending the low wage economy, and millions of green jobs. The last 10 years of austerity and cuts to public services have failed to deliver better living standards for people in this country. Sign the open letter and demand a better future.
Your local vendor is at the sharp end of the cost-of-living crisis this Winter. Prices of energy and food are rising rapidly. As is the cost of rent. All at their highest rate in 40 years. Vendors are amongst the most vulnerable people affected. Support our vendors to earn as much as they can and give them a fighting chance this Winter.
