Westminster helping the rough sleepers through a long, hot summer

BY YANN TEAR
yann@slpmedia.co.uk

Dedicated patrols have been on the streets of Westminster this summer to help rough sleepers avoid dehydration, sunstroke and heat exhaustion.

Westminster city council’s severe weather protocol comes into place when there are three consecutive days when thermometers are forecast to hit at least 28C.

Council outreach teams have been working closely with the NHS Homeless Health Service and a number of charities, including St Mungo’s, the Connection at St Martin’s and the Passage to reduce the risk posed to rough sleepers by prolonged periods of heat and direct sunshine.

While all London boroughs have similar plans in place for cold weather snaps, Westminster is the only council in the city to plan for supporting rough sleepers in heatwaves.

Westminster currently spends more than £7million a year on supporting rough sleepers – more than any other local authority.

Councillor Ian Adams, Westminster city council cabinet member for public protection and licensing, said: “The hot weather can be just as dangerous as the cold for people living on the streets.

We already provide a comprehensive support package to help those sleeping rough off the street, but in hot weather we want to make sure some of the most vulnerable people in our society don’t suffer due to this prolonged sunny spell.”

Support provided includes free water given out to rough sleepers – which is also available in hostel receptions and clinics; day centre clinics alerted to look out for signs and symptoms of heat-related health problems, with trained medical staff on hand to respond; hot weather packs, including water and rehydration tablets available in hostels across the city for the most vulnerable clients; and extra day centre spaces with longer opening times in the day to ensure the most vulnerable rough sleepers have somewhere to go where they can be out of the sun from 11am until 3pm.

The Dogs on the Street charity has been on hand to ensure dogs living on the street have access to water bowls and are screened for signs of dehydration.

To support this activity, Sainsbury’s has provided oral rehydration sachets, sun cream and talcum powder to be distributed to rough sleeping accommodation centres in Westminster, to prevent illness amongst those residents most vulnerable to extreme heat.

Westminster has also just launched a Hidden Network campaign to help tackle rough sleeping in the city.

The campaign involves the establishing of a network of professionals and volunteers from local services and registered charities that partner with the council to provide life-changing work to help people sleeping rough off the streets and to rebuild their lives.

“We’re encouraging the public to donate directly to these charities rather than giving money directly to rough sleepers, so that long-term support can be offered to those who need our help the most,” said a council spokesman.