How to help a homeless person in the cold after two die in freezing conditions | UK News

As winter approaches and the UK battles flood warnings, ice and snow, our homeless population is bearing the full brunt of the weather.

A major incident was declared in Cumbria over the weekend due to the snowfall, with more than 1,000 homes left without power.

With drivers forced to abandon their cars and some public transport cancelled, poor weather can be a challenge for everyone – but the impact is felt even more acutely by rough sleepers.

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Temperatures dropped to as low as -10°C overnight this weekend, and sadly two people believed to be rough sleepers were found dead, linked to the freezing temperatures.

Marc Renshaw was found dead on Sunday morning on the street in Manchester’s gay village, while another man was found ‘frozen to death in his car’.

Many councils across the UK have implemented the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) – which gets rough sleepers into emergency accommodation when temperatures drop to try and prevent deaths.

But what should you do if you come across a rough sleeper and you’re concerned for their welfare?

Here’s how you can help, both during the Christmas period and the winter as a whole.

How you can help homeless people when it’s cold

If you’re in England or Wales, the best thing to do if you see someone who is sleeping rough is contact Streetlink.

Essentially, this allows you to send an alert to a local outreach service – such as your local authority or a homeless charity, such as St Mungo’s.

They will then be able to locate the person sleeping rough to make sure they know about the support available to them.

You’ll need to provide the exact location of the person you’re worried about by describing the area, as well as pinpointing it on a map – plus what time of day you saw or interacted with them.

You’ll also need to provide a description of their appearance, name, age (if possible) and other identifying characteristics – to help the outreach service identify them.

If you need make contact now, send your Streetlink alert via their website. Or call 0300 500 0914.

This advice only applies to adults. If the person appears to be under 18, you should contact the police instead.

Call 999 in an emergency if you believe someone needs immediate medical attention.

Finally, you can contact your local council to make a report or ensure that someone you’ve spotted locally is getting support. Find the best contact number or email address on gov.uk.

Many councils operate a SWEP, so should have a plan in place to help local homeless people.

Other ways to help the homeless this winter

If you want to do your part in tackling homelessness in the long term, there are other ways to help during winter – and throughout the year.

Donate coats and blankets

Got a coat you never wear? Donate them to a charity like Wrap Up UK.

Not in your area? Find your local homeless shelter, or a similar service, via Homeless Link, or visit the Salvation Army clothing bank to see what they currently need.

Likewise, blankets, sleeping bags and warm clothing are much-needed donations.

Offer warm drinks/food

If you want to offer something to a rough sleeper directly, you can always ask if they would like anything to eat or drink.

Speak to them first to ensure it’s something they want or need, and Shelter also says it’s okay to provide blankets, or warm clothing.

If you can’t offer anything, you can always offer a friendly hello, check they’re alright and contact Streetlink.

Donate to a charity or volunteer

Alternatively, you can make a donation to a homelessness charity, which will go towards providing shelter and food.

There are a number of UK charities you can donate to, including (but not limited to):

Many of these charities may be open to volunteers who have time, rather than money, to spare.

Visit their official websites above for further details on what’s needed.

Another way to help is by subscribing to The Big Issue, a magazine working to end homelessness.

Often, homeless people will work as vendors for the magazine – you can buy issues directly from them, or subscribe online.

How to help the homeless at Christmas

If you want to offer help to homeless people over the festive period, there are plenty of ways you can do so.

Crisis is always looking for volunteers across the country for various roles over the festive break.

If you’re based in London you can also help out at such charities as Whitechapel Mission or the Islington-based Shelter from the Storm.

If you’re not able to offer volunteering services, you can also donate to homeless charities such as Centrepoint, which aims to help young homeless people off the streets.

A donation of £25 will pay for a hot meal and a bed for a person arriving at Centrepoint, while £50 can pay for essentials such as toiletries and bedding.

Or you can donate to Shelter – a donation of just £10 can go towards answering a call to their emergency helpline, while £30 can give expert digital advice to someone faced with the prospect of homelessness.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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