Emergency accommodation for rough sleepers due to weather

Oxford City Council is extending its activation of its Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) for rough sleepers for at least two further nights.

The city council operates SWEP in consultation with local partners St Mungo’s, The Porch, Simon House and Homeless Oxfordshire.

The protocol was invoked following the snow and sub-zero overnight temperatures in Oxford recently.

SWEP sets out what the council and local homelessness organisations will do to make extra bed spaces available for rough sleepers in the city during cold winter weather. It opens on the first night of a period when the Met Office forecasts the temperature will fall to zero or below on three or more consecutive nights. It can also open on a discretionary basis during other adverse weather conditions.

When SWEP is open, emergency accommodate is available for anyone who would otherwise be sleeping rough in the city. The council operates SWEP under guidance from Homeless Link.

Claire Dowan, Homeless Oxford chief executive officer, said: “At Homeless Oxfordshire we provide over 200 bed spaces though our hostel and move-on accommodation houses in the community. At O’Hanlon House Hostel we provide 24 hour support and have 56 rooms available that are always pretty much full. We also open for day services and provide shelter and food to around 40 additional people. Overnight our Sit Up service provides further spaces for people to come in off the streets.

“The implementation of SWEP means that we provide a further 10 spaces on top of our regular Sit Up service. It is a harsh reality that people are at risk of dying on the streets during the winter and collectively we continue to do our best to reduce rough sleeping in Oxford.”