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How to help rough sleepers when snow comes

SNOW is expected in Cardiff later this week but homeless charities have stressed there is no need for anyone to be sleeping rough.
An amber weather warning has been issued for Thursday and Friday in Cardiff and temperatures are set to hit -4 degrees Celsius tonight.

The latest Met Office weather update

Nine inches of snow are expected on Thursday and Friday, according to the Met Office.
WXCharts’ snow predictions

There are several ways to help anyone sleeping on the streets:

  • The police are publicising emergency winter night shelters in place at various locations across Cardiff until March 29.

  • The Huggard Centre can accommodate more than 40 people and provides a range of support for rough sleepers.
  • The YMCA located on the Walk, has two emergency beds available, and opens up floor space in winter for rough sleepers who have nowhere else to go.
  • Passers-by can send an alert to Streetlinks who will pass the details of rough sleepers on to the local authorities.

Cardiff council said: “We provide 216 hostel places for single homeless people, 45 emergency beds, and 390 supported accommodation units.”
This number is increased by 86 places during the winter months.
“We constantly monitor the use of our emergency accommodation to ensure that spaces are available and we aim to predict and address any increase in demand that is likely to occur due to cold weather.”