Severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP)

How we help rough sleepers during extreme weather

Get help when it's freezing

If the night temperature is forecast to fall to 0° (zero degrees) Celsius, or below, for 3 nights or more, we can help.

During the day

Telephone: 0300 300 4370

Lines are open:

  • Monday to Thursday, 8:30am until 5:30pm
  • Friday, 8:30am until 4:30pm

In the evening, overnight and at weekends

Telephone: 0300 300 8098

Others who can help

NOAH Enterprise

Welfare Centre
141 Park Street
Luton
Bedfordshire
LU1 3HG

Telephone: 01582 728416

Visit NOAH Enterprise's website

NOAH can help if the night temperature is forecast to fall to 0° (zero degrees) Celsius, or below, for 3 nights or more.

Help in Bedford

You can visit:

Somewhere Safe to Stay Hub
26 Harpur Street
Bedford
Bedfordshire
MK40 1LB

If you know of someone sleeping rough

If you know of someone sleeping rough, you can ask for help via the Streetlink app.

It only takes a minute to point an outreach worker to their location and get them help. You'll get an update, when outreach workers have visited the person, about what is being done to help them.

Install the app from Apple App Store

Get the app on Google Play

About our severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP)

Sleeping rough is very dangerous, especially during severe weather.

When the temperature is forecast to drop to 0° (zero degrees) Celsius (or below) for three or more nights, we can help.

This is when our severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP) kicks in.

We work with local homelessness services to decide when to activate the protocol. We do this to protect rough sleepers from serious harm, during extreme weather.

The decision considers extreme:

  • cold
  • wind
  • rain