Preparing for winter: a guide for day centres

The onset of winter presents opportunities for homelessness services, as clients are more likely to enter accommodation and engage with support during cold weather. There is also increased risk as rough sleepers and others spending long periods outside, such as street drinkers, may experience a deterioration in their health.

This guide suggests practical steps that day centres and other frontline services can take to prepare for winter. It covers:

• Health
• Engagement
• Resources
• Service provision

The aim of the guide is to help services to start preparing for winter early so that healthcare needs are addressed and work on housing solutions started before clients' needs become critical.

For additional guidance on identifying and addressing the health needs of clients please also see Homeless Link's Health Needs Audit Toolkit