Rise in rough sleepers accessing emergency accommodation in and around Northampton

The number of rough sleepers seeking help in cold weather more than doubled last year in West Northamptonshire, as homelessness figures increased nationally for the first time since 2017.

During a children, education and housing scrutiny committee meeting on Monday 25 September, the council reviewed its Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) services ahead of this winter. SWEP administers emergency accommodation for rough sleepers in West Northamptonshire during periods of severe weather in a range of facilities such as B&Bs, hostels, and self-contained temporary accommodation.

The number of rough sleepers accommodated under SWEP increased from 38, in 2021/22, to 86 in 2022/23 – a rise of 126 per cent. However, the percentage of those that have been moved off the streets after SWEP intervention has decreased, with 84 per cent returning to the streets in 2022/23 compared to just 18 per cent of the cohort the year prior.

In the winter, the emergency protocol is triggered by a forecast of zero degrees or lower for at least three consecutive nights across Northampton, Daventry, and Towcester. Tara Scarth, single homelessness pathway manager, said that at its heart SWEP is about the “preservation of life”.

National figures released earlier this year have also shown a 26 percent rise in rough sleeping across the country. The new Kerslake Commission on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping has concluded that “chronic and unresolved” issues driving the rise in homelessness include the housing affordability crisis and the general cost of living prices being at a record high.

The commission has also warned that the government will not meet its target to end rough sleeping by 2024.

The rising pressures in this sector are also driving up council spending. The West Northants cabinet heard in a meeting on 19 September that there was a projected overspend of £2.3m in costs of temporary and supported accommodation services.

Cllr Adam Brown, deputy leader of the council, told the cabinet that they were “pursuing vigorously” building more houses in an attempt to reduce the amount of people needing temporary accommodation. A range of alternative buildings are being investigated by SWEP for use in the winter period.