Help bring rough sleepers in from the cold
As freezing temperatures hit the North West, Lancaster City Council’s dedicated homeless team is urging people to get in touch if they spot anyone sleeping rough in the area so they can be brought in from the cold.
One person sleeping rough on the street is one too many
The call comes following the triggering of SWEP (Severe Weather Emergency Protocol) which comes into effect when the night time temperature is predicted to be zero degree celsius, according to the Met Office.
During this time, a dedicated team of city council staff remain on standby to respond to alerts and offer support and advice as well as help make arrangements to get them off the street and into temporary accommodation during periods of sub-zero temperatures. Although some rough sleepers are already known to the team, there can be others new to the district which remain unnoticed, bedding down at different times of day or night, and moving from place to place.
In extreme weather conditions, the best thing you can do is to report what you have seen to the council's specialist team of staff so that they can get them off the street and connect them to other local services which can get them back on their feet.
During normal office hours (9am-5pm) - tel. 01524 582257
Evenings and weekends - via the city council's out of hours service - tel. 01524 67099
Alternatively you can contact StreetLink by telephoning the 24/7 StreetLink phone line 0300 500 0914 or report your concerns using the StreetLink website www.streetlink.org.uk The Street Link scheme is a service that enables the public to alert local authorities in England about rough sleepers in their area.
Last updated: 23 January 2019