Rough sleeping is challenging at any time of the year, but with the 'Beast from the East' and Storm Emma the cold temperatures can be life threatening. Providing shelter and safety to any rough sleepers that had not already secured temporary accommodation was a life saver.

Falcon Support Services have been busy trying to help rough sleepers connect with local services and have increased our provision of beds during this period. If you know someone who may be at risk of sleeping rough or you're concerned about a rough sleeper, contact StreetLink on 0300 500 0194 or their local council's out of hours housing number.

The Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) is an emergency response to prevent deaths of people sleeping rough during winter and Falcon Support Services pulled together to open their doors to those that were homeless. The Falcon Centre, a 30 bed supported accommodation project already participates in providing one SWEP bed in these conditions and is part of the No Second Night Out initiative providing a further bed to help people off the streets.