Homelessness and rough sleeping

In Waltham Forest, there are several agencies and accommodation providers offering advice, support, and shelter to get rough sleepers off the streets. These include:

• Our dedicated outreach team receives referrals via StreetLink​
• a 15-bed short-term assessment project for rough sleepers
• Forest Churches Emergency Winter Night Shelters (FCENS)

Our outreach team works 365 days a year to seek out rough sleepers. This team helps get them off the streets into some form of accommodation. Each year from November to February, we run an awareness campaign to ensure any new rough sleepers are identified.

What happens during cold weather?

The number of people sleeping on our streets is increasing and during the winter months, rough sleepers face additional health risks.

There is a Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) in Waltham Forest. This protocol comes into force during periods of severe weather (0°c or below), and emergency shelter is provided to all rough sleepers during this time.