Homeless shelters prepare for influx as cold snap bites

Homeless shelters and organisations providing emergency accommodation across the UK are preparing for an influx of rough sleepers as temperatures drop to subzero, with charities warning that a lack of affordable housing is pushing more and more people onto the streets.

- HOLLY EVANS

Councils across the country, including North Somerset Council and Bristol City Council, have launched their Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) measures in an effort to ensure that people have access to shelter at night, with temperatures set to fall to as low as minus 3C in some regions.

In London, additional support has also been granted, with the mayor of London Sadiq Khan saying the cold could be “dangerous and it can often be fatal” for those living on the streets.

Figures released by the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) database found that between April 2024 and March 2025, 13,231 people were sleeping rough in London, marking a 10 per cent increase on the previous year. This is 63 per cent higher than the figure seen in 2015/16, with 50 per cent of those spoken to by outreach workers having a support need relating to mental health.

According to the charity Shelter, new research published in December found that 382,618 people in England were homeless, including 175,025 children. Of this figure, at least 4,667 were sleeping rough on any given night, representing a 20 per cent increase in the last year, while another 16,294 were living in hostels and other homeless accommodation.