SWEP activated as temperatures fall

With temperatures plummeting, our Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) has been activated today (Tuesday 19 November) and is likely to remain in place over the coming days.

SWEP is a humanitarian response to periods of severe weather.

Anyone who is identified as sleeping rough within the Canterbury district, and who agrees to receiving help, is eligible to access accommodation via our SWEP provision when it is activated.

We will, of course, be taking a proactive approach by going out on to the streets and speaking to rough sleepers who may need help under SWEP.

If you have concerns about anyone you see sleeping rough, the quickest and easiest way to let us know is through the Streetlink website or app.

Please provide as much information as possible about the location of the individual you are calling about.

If you are aware of anyone who may need to access SWEP, please ask them to contact us on 0808 196 8140 during working hours or our out-of-hours number 01227 781 879 between 5pm and 8am.

We have teams out across the district and will aim to respond to any alerts in a timely manner.

It is important to note that even when SWEP is in place, we cannot forcefully intervene to provide an individual with support. Many people refuse our help and this is their right and we will keep on trying to persuade them.

Therefore, should you contact us about a rough sleeper, you should not necessarily expect to see that individual removed and placed into accommodation.

This is not because we have failed to react to your report, but because the individual has declined support.

Published: 19 November 2024