Published on Monday 12 February 2024
More than 80 individuals sleeping rough were helped off the streets during the recent freezing weather, with 33 remaining in longer-term accommodation. This was due to extra support put into place by BCP Council and homeless charity, St Mungo’s to offer emergency accommodation.
This emergency support, known as the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) protected over 80 people from freezing conditions during the most recent and lengthiest spell of sub-zero temperatures from 13-20 January. Local organisations worked together to ensure these individuals had access to a free, warm place to stay.
A total of 33 people who had been offered an emergency roof over their heads have now remained in accommodation. This includes supported housing, temporary accommodation such as B&B’s, with some successfully returning to their homes.
SWEP is activated when there is a real risk of loss of life due to weather conditions and must be applied when the night-time temperature is predicted to be zero degrees Celsius or below for three consecutive nights according to the MET weather forecast.
Cllr Kieron Wilson, BCP Council Portfolio Holder for Housing and Regulatory Services said:
“SWEP activations in January helped to bring people who would otherwise have been rough sleeping into safe accommodation during the extreme winter weather.
“I would like to express my huge gratitude to St Mungo’s and our other partners for the high level of care, expertise, and hard work provided during this time. They have protected many members of our community who currently find themselves without a home. The thing that has stuck out most for me is the individual cases and the people we have managed to move into more permanent accommodation.
‘One story that resonated was of a resident who has been known to us since 2018. They had previously struggled to engage with our services. However, during this last SWEP period, they accepted our help, engaged positively, and have now moved into a permanent placement. This is just one example of the fantastic work from our team by being patient and persistent in helping those without a home.’
“In addition, we are progressing some new Rough Sleeping Initiative-funded services to focus on helping people move on from temporary accommodation and also preventing cases of rough sleeping, including those returning to the streets.”
Sara Turner, Senior Services Manager, St Mungo’s added:
"The success of this SWEP is attributed to several factors but not least the dedication and commitment shown by all involved, working round the clock, to provide this life saving provision to those experiencing rough sleeping.
“St Mungo's worked in partnership with the council and other key agencies to deliver a coordinated, safe and effective response to the severe weather warning. The sole aim was to keep people safe, building rapport, starting to gain trust and where possible, providing creative solutions to future housing and support. It is one of the hardest things I have had the privilege to lead on, yet at the same time, one of the most humbling and rewarding."
During this winter's SWEP, outreach and housing teams, as well as various other partner agencies have actively engaged with people coming in from the cold, helping people impacted by street homelessness to access the support they need.
This valuable work is reflective of the Homelessness Partnership BCP’s commitment to ending rough sleeping across the area.
BCP Council has activated the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) four times so far this winter.
SWEP was activated twice in January: from 8- 11 January, followed by 13-20 January 2024.
The new 'hybrid SWEP’ model first ran from 30 November to 4 December 2023 and has pioneered the use of communal centres to provide warm accommodation, significantly reducing dependency on bed and breakfast hotels.
For the first time, Poole-based homelessness charity Routes to Roots hosted 12 beds at its Genesis Centre, while 24 people were accommodated at St Mungo's new Fusion Centre in Bournemouth.
The Rough Sleeping Initiative is funding provided by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), this includes a Move On and Prevention uplift to the Rough Sleeping Initiative 2022-25 in response to the pressures local areas are experiencing. These interventions will focus on move on and include related aspects such as counselling. As well as this there is further funding towards emergency accommodation.