Thanks to Nathan Briant and Alex Meakin, South of England BBC News Online for the Headline
The Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) means that anyone who is sleeping rough should be given a safe place to stay to get them out of the dangerous temperatures they would experience outside. If temperatures drop below zero three days in a row then the protocol comes into operation.
This means that to find and support SWEP, the Homeless workers both from Charities and the Local Agencies must be out and about approaching those who are in need of help. It must be heartbreaking and dangerous work( considering they may have to travel and walk around in poorly lit areas).
So they need both emotional and physical resilience.
There is an app called Street Link where members of the public can notify the relevant people should they spot someone who they think needs help.
I can appreciate how difficult this job is , I remember seeing a story on a News Programme of a homeless man in a village in Wiltshire who died in the street during a particularly harsh winter. The village made a real effort to give the man a funeral and acknowledge and celebrate his life. I think though , the feeling was they all had wished they’d done something more to prevent his death from the cold
Perhaps experiences like that one generated the need for SWEP and all we can be is grateful for organisations like St Mungo’s and the Salvation Army who continue to do the work in what are very difficult circumstances.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading. 🙏
thenotsomightyom 