Every time temperatures drop like this, rough sleepers risk their lives just trying to last the night, with the dangers only too real as the sad case of a man who froze to death in Birmingham before Christmas illustrates.
It’s natural to want to help if you see someone struggling – and they probably will appreciate the offer of a hot drink or some food. But what they really need is a place to get out of the rough weather – and you can provide this by alerting homelessness charity StreetLink to their location.
Emergency shelters have opened in London this week because of the cold, so the best thing you can do is make sure outreach volunteers know how to find anyone who may need them.
StreetLink operates across England and Wales, so you can get in touch with them about rough sleepers anywhere in these two countries.
In Scotland, local authorities are obliged to house homeless people that same day. Because of this, rough sleepers are dealt with on a town or city-by-city basis. Shelter has published a list of organisations you can contact for help depending on where in Scotland you are.
You can find them via their website here, download their app on your iPhone or Android. Making an online referral allows StreetLink to process it more efficiently and reach the homeless person more quickly. When you can’t report in-app or online, call their 24-hour hotline on 0300 500 0914.
Read more: What to do if you see a homeless person sleeping rough in the snow
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Here are four ways to be sure you’re among the first to know what’s going on.
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (in the left margin). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
The Livingstone Presumption is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here: