City’s Emergency Weather Program Shelters Rough Sleepers Amid Freezing Temperatures

Nearly two dozen individuals experiencing homelessness received shelter from freezing conditions on the initial night of a city’s emergency weather initiative. On Monday, snowfall occurred in Liverpool and throughout Merseyside as temperatures descended to freezing point for the first time in 2024. The Local Democracy Reporting Service indicated that the number of people sleeping rough in the city increased during 2024 compared to the corresponding period last year. An average of 30 people were observed sleeping rough each night between April and September 2024, marking an increase from the average of 22 individuals seen nightly during the same timeframe in 2023. Annually, in preparation for winter, Liverpool City Council reserves hotel accommodations and offers “sit-up spaces” as part of its severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP) response. Kath Wallace, the council’s commissioning director, stated that Liverpool employs a “more generous” trigger temperature for SWEP activation than other areas nationally. The protocol is initiated when temperatures fall to two degrees on any single night, in contrast to the national standard of zero degrees for three nights or more elsewhere. This protocol typically operates from December through March but was activated ahead of schedule due to an abrupt drop in temperatures earlier this week. Over the past three winter seasons, Liverpool has activated SWEP on an average of seven occasions, covering 25 nights each winter. During the 2023-24 period, 124 individuals were accommodated using SWEP, an increase from 78 the preceding year. Ms Wallace indicated that officials anticipate the re-establishment of the winter night assessment hub in December. Last winter, during its 12-week operation, 148 people utilized the service, with 130 of them staying for at least one night. Ms Wallace verified that the hub is supplied to the council without charge for the winter season, also disclosing that 22 people required support on Monday alone. Further bed and breakfast accommodations have already been arranged for those requiring them. Ms Wallace commented: “Everybody who is out has an invitation to come indoors. Unfortunately during that period not everyone will come indoors.”