Rough sleepers need more help from Cardiff council and variety of charities to make sure they can suffer from the cold weather during this winter, according to the Cardiff local charity Wallich.
Last week, around 2000 people including international students in Cardiff launched a petition to urge Cardiff council to open up their empty buildings as the shelter to the rough sleepers.
Cardiff council have responded to the petition that they will open up the empty buildings as soon as possible and also provide a range of services.
The Wallich, a charity focusing on homelessness, said on its website: “We urge Cardiff Council to expand its existing winter provision and to work with charities to provide the specialist support that rough sleepers need while in temporary shelters.”
Rough sleepers in the Cardiff streets generally have complex reasons including mental illness and substance or alcohol misuse problems.
“Those people housed in empty buildings may be vulnerable to having drugs pushed upon them, violence and abuse without the support structures that exist in more permanent homelessness services”, said by the Wallich.
“Without this support many may just end up back on the street in spring.”
Rough sleeping is defined by the Government as ‘people sleeping, or bedded down, in the open air; people in buildings or other places not designed for habitation, according to Shelter, a charity based in London focus on homelessness.