Thanet council has activated its Severe Weather Emergency Protocol for rough sleepers due to the Met Office forecasting overnight temperatures of ‘feels like’ zero or below for the next four nights.
The Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) is activated from tonight (Thursday 25 November).
When the protocol is triggered, the council provides emergency accommodation for any person sleeping rough in the district to prevent unnecessary deaths.
SWEP should be implemented on the first night of the severe weather forecast and means the authority will work in partnership with the voluntary sector, using homelessness grants and council funds to ensure rough sleepers are provided with shelter.
A Thanet council spokesperson said: “Our SWEP policy aims to ensure the safety and wellbeing of anybody we believe to be rough sleeping. We are working closely with the RISE rough sleeping outreach team to ensure that any known rough sleepers are proactively offered relief during this cold snap.”
If you know or meet anyone who will be sleeping rough during this time please call 01843 577277 and spread the word so that other people are aware too.
More information on the Severe Weather Emergency protocol (SWEP) is available on on the TDC website
They need housing full stop, not just when its cold..
Agreed Steve but for now I hope nobody is outside sleeping rough in thanet tonight, I hope this will last at least until the winter is over even though we are still in Autumn. While we are in a cold weather snap please if you any elderly or vulnerable people or any neighbour please check they are okay with the price of heating going through the roof (no pun meant) some won’t heat up the house it’s going to be heating or food. Let’s all be neighbourly. Chris
oh i know all about the price of heating, cant afford to keep it on much at the moment, and yes somewhere to sleep this time of year is needed..
Problem is there are plenty out there sleeping rough in all corners of Thanet and they hide away to avoid the abuse from passers by. TDC say that rough sleepers need to be invited to their services, they cannot just turn up. They send people out to search for them so that they are seen in situ. It is to avoid people who do not really need the help. The searchers do not know where to look and miss them.
It is a scandal that anyone is left on the streets and parks with nowhere to live for even one cold night but getting help is extremely difficult, especially for those with mental health issues.
Is TDC again choosing to pay a commercial provider for these places rather than using the free services offered by local organisations in the past?