WITH temperatures hovering around zero, a charity that helps homeless people has been active across Reading.
Working with Reading Borough Council, St Mungo’s is operating the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol until at least Monday, December 19. It will then be reviewed to see if additional help is needed.
The outreach workers have been providing additional emergency support to people experiencing rough sleeping since Wednesday last week.
During this time, St Mungo’s Reading Outreach Team will be carrying out additional shifts and helping people to access the additional emergency accommodation available during the cold spell.
A range of different emergency accommodation options will be made available to people coming in off the streets, depending on their individual support needs.
As well as providing a safe and warm space for the night, St Mungo’s will be working with people individually to help them find a route away from sleeping rough and to plan their next steps towards longer term accommodation.
Across England, local authorities must work alongside local homelessness organisations to devise and carry out a SWEP plan to support people who are sleeping rough in the region.
In Reading, the council activates SWEP during times of severe weather when the Met Office forecasts a minimum temperature of 0°C or below for three consecutive nights or more.
SWEP may also be activated in other periods of severe weather.
When activated, SWEP provision will be open for a minimum of three nights even if temperatures rise before this point.
Wendy Dodds, St Mungo’s Rough Sleeper Outreach Coordinator for Reading, said: “Sub-zero temperatures are extremely dangerous for people who are living on the streets, and it is vital that our team are able to offer people support and bring people in from the cold.
“We’ll be putting on additional shifts this week and helping people to access the additional emergency accommodation that is available while SWEP is activated.
“During this weather we really encourage members of the public to take action if they see somebody who is sleeping rough; you can use the Streetlink website to make a referral, which will let our team know where somebody is sleeping rough, and help us to find them and offer support quickly. As always, if someone needs urgent medical attention please call 999.”
To help people sleeping rough in the town, members of the public are being urged to:
– Encourage anyone they see rough sleeping in Reading to call 0118 958 5002 to speak to the Reading Outreach team.
– Dial 999 if someone needs emergency help.
– If you see somebody sleeping rough you can make a referral via Streetlink, which sends a notification to the local outreach team about their location.
– Remember that www.streetlink.org.uk is not an emergency service – we do not get the referrals immediately so it’s best to use 0117 4070330 when the severe weather response is activated, except in cases where 999 emergency services should be contacted.
