How will Northampton's rough sleepers be sheltered through the winter lockdown?

Northampton has taken its own steps to shelter rough sleepers through the winter lockdown.

Homeless people in England are facing the next six weeks without the return of the 'Everyone In' emergency policy from March.

The scheme helped 15,000 people get off the street at the beginning of the pandemic by sheltering them in hotels and accommodation.

But now, with the arrival of the third lockdown, the scheme has not returned. So what is being done to take are of rough sleepers and homeless people in Northampton for the next six weeks?

The Government has reportedly provided £700m of homelessness funding since March 2020. This included £91.5m allocated to councils in September to fund their own plans for the winter.

As a result, Northampton's Single Homelessness Forum established the 'Homelessness Assessment and Rapid Rehousing Pathway' (HARRP), a 27-bedroom supported living scheme for rough sleepers.

It comes after the forum - which was formed in 2019 and is made up of organisations such as the Hope Centre, the borough council and NAASH - reported that the 'Everyone In' policy had led to 98 people who had previously been homeless move into settled housing.

Additionally, Northampton's Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) shelter will this winter open when temperatures are forecast to drop below 0°C for at least two hours between 9pm and 9am.

Previously, the criteria was that freezing temperatures had to be forecast for three consecutive. The criteria has been 'temporarily changed' after the borough council was criticised in December for not opening the shelter ahead of two nights of freezing temperatures.

Other services operating at the night shelter at HAARP include the International Lighthouse, an organisation to reach out to Eastern European and and non-UK-national rough sleepers to move them into settled housing.