If you follow our social media, you may have seen us posting about SWEP – Severe Weather Emergency Protocol. SWEP is actioned by the council when the weather is so extreme, it could cause a loss to life. In the winter, SWEP is activated when temperatures are forecast to be zero degrees or below for three consecutive days. The protocol then enables people who are sleeping rough and are out on the streets to stay in emergency accommodation, getting them out of the cold and the dangers that come with it.
Many of the women we support are homeless, in fact last year 95% of women we worked with experienced homelessness.
A problem, the women tell us, is a lack of single-sex emergency accommodation spaces, and what that means for a woman who might have to choose between sleeping rough in the freezing cold or sharing a space with a person who may be a risk to them. Another issue women who street sex work face, is that most shelters will have an early curfew, which, if you are street sex-working at night, is often not possible to stick to.
We are thrilled to tell you that starting this year, One25 will be able to host emergency shelter for women. We will turn our health hub space into a makeshift dorm, with 8 beds, 2 of which will always be reserved for women we meet on the van, needing somewhere warm to sleep. Volunteers and staff will be on hand to make the space as cosy and welcoming as possible, and providing a hot breakfast in the morning, to ensure the women have a warming, hearty meal before starting their days.
Services manager Tracey said:
So often we meet women on the van with no options for accommodation and it’s impossible to get them a bed at that time of night. Hosting SWEP means we will be able to offer 2 beds specifically for women using the van. In terrible cold weather, they’ll be able to feel safe, have a shower, a hot breakfast and can speak to their Caseworker – it’s just huge.
If you see someone rough sleeping while SWEP is activated, call St. Mungo’s Outreach team on 0117 4070330. In an emergency, always call 999.
