Cold weather provision

Coping with cold weather if you are homeless can be extremely difficult. However, many services operate to support people who find themselves sleeping rough during the cold weather period.

This page provides up-to-date information on cold weather provision nationally to prevent unnecessary harm coming to individuals.

If you are rough sleeping or concerned about someone sleeping rough
Let services know about rough sleepers by visiting the StreetLink website.
Alternatively search for services yourself here. If you are in London, you can see the Advice Guide on winter shelters here.

If you are a local authority, or any organisation looking to deliver cold weather provision
There is a humanitarian obligation on all local authorities to do all they can to prevent deaths on the streets caused by winter weather conditions. As such, we have produced a good practice guide to support local authorities and local agencies to provide appropriate responses for homeless people during the cold and severe weather period.

Visit here for good practice and resources in providing cold weather services.

In 2011 we also produced a helpful Preparing for winter: a guide for day centres, which offers useful guidance for day centres and other homelessness services to support individuals.

Learning from previous years

We collect basic information from providers of cold weather shelters and services under the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol in order to learn and share good practice. Reports from previous years can be found here: