Homeless charity issues ‘Don’t Walk By’ plea as extreme weather hits

As storms Eunice, Dudley and Franklin bring extreme weather across the UK, Homeless Link is issuing a plea to members of the public to not just walk by if they see someone sleeping rough.

The Met Office issued a ‘danger to life’ warning covering the whole of England for Friday 18 February, with the storms bringing high winds, heavy snow and blizzards.

These extreme conditions put people sleeping rough in danger, with 13 people dying every week while experiencing homelessness in 2020, while the mean age at death for someone experiencing homelessness is 46 for men and 42 for women.

Many local authorities have now activated their Severe Weather Emergency Provision protocols, meaning they are able to provide emergency accommodation to all who need it. 

Rick Henderson, CEO at Homeless Link, said: ‘Please don’t just walk by. Unfortunately, many people are used to seeing people sleeping on the streets, meaning they often walk by without noticing. But extreme weather conditions like we are seeing at the moment can be really dangerous for people sleeping rough. 

‘It’s hard for services to know the whereabouts of everyone sleeping on the streets so, in conditions like these, members of the public have a role to play in providing vital information, giving local authorities and homeless services the tools to find and accommodate people. A few minutes of your time could save someone’s life. 

‘For situations that aren’t deemed an emergency, people can make an alert via StreetLink or contact their local authority directly. However, in the case of an emergency people should call 999. It’s also important to note that the plea only applies if people feel safe to approach someone, no one should put their own safety at risk.’

Homeless Link has issued advice for what the public should do if they see someone rough sleeping.

If the situation is not deemed an emergency people can: 

• Smile, stop and say hello and ask how the person is doing.
• Send an alert via the StreetLink app and website, which passes the information on to the local homeless outreach service.
• Contact their local authority homelessness service directly.

In the case of an emergency or immediate risk, people should contact 999, and never put themselves at risk or intervene if they think it might put them in danger.

Photo by Jonathan Rados