Storm Goretti Highlights Homelessness Crisis as Rough Sleepers Recount Freezing ‘Nightmare’ on London Streets

“I’m f***ing freezing, like an ice cube” says Viktor, a Polish homeless man huddled in Old Street Station to shelter from the bitterly cold weather. 

Unlike parts of the UK, London has not been covered in snow by Storm Goretti, though it has experienced freezing temperatures, strong winds, heavy rain and a arctic air that means you don’t want to be caught outside for too long.

Temperatures at night over recent days have reached as low as -7 in London. While other people can escape the worst of the cold at home, for rough sleepers like Viktor extreme weather presents a struggle for survival. 

Viktor has enough to pay for a hostel tonight, though he doesn’t always. He often struggles for funds at the weekend when there are fewer commuters to give him change. On those days he shelters in “phone boxes where it’s not that cold. Though it is still cold below the knees. Sometimes I fire up newspapers to warm me up”. 

According to Crisis, the homelessness charity, around 15,000 people slept rough last year in the UK. Figures from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network show that between April 2024 and March 2025, around 13,000 people slept rough in London.

Charities warn that they are at acute risk from the cold weather. Francesca Albanese, executive director of policy and social change at Crisis, said:

“Rough sleeping is extremely dangerous all year round, but a night spent in freezing temperatures or in the most extreme weather can be deadly. It’s vital that people who would otherwise be sleeping on the streets are helped into safe, emergency accommodation”. 

This is done by a process called the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol or SWEP. Although not a legal requirement, most local authorities have SWEP procedures in place which provide emergency housing for homeless people in extreme weather situations.

The fact that it is not a legal requirement has led to criticism over how London has handled the recent spate of cold weather. London activated its SWEP on January 3, but deactivated it three days later because forecasts predicted temperatures above 0.

The charity Streets Kitchen which does cold outreach, branded the move “life threatening” and told the Metro newspaper that: “For too long, the safety of our city’s most vulnerable has relied on a ‘humanitarian duty’ rather than a legal mandate.”

Peter O’Grady, Director of Food For All, a charity which runs a food bank and a soup kitchen in King’s Cross told Byline Times that they had seen more visitors since the weather got colder. “It’s grim out there” he said. “You wouldn’t think this would happen in a country like England which has so much wealth” he added.

TJ, another homeless man who sleeps in a doorway in Old Street, and sits outside a shop is in contact with Street Link, a service which connects homeless people to their local services. He hopes they can find him a room. Living homeless on and off for the last few years, he told Byline Times that this time he’d been on the street since the 21st of December. “It’s very wet and cold. But I’ve just got to do what I do. I suppose I’m torturing myself [sitting here]”. 

The Mayor’s office reactivated the SWEP for the past weekend. A Greater London Authority spokesperson said: “We need to ensure vulnerable people are protected in adverse weather.

“City Hall’s rough sleeping team are regularly reviewing SWEP to make sure it continues to fulfil its vital purpose to support those most in need. They are continuing to monitor temperatures this week and have activated SWEP this weekend with freezing temperatures forecast.

“The Mayor is committed to continuing to do all I can in the coming days, working closely with councils and charities, to support people experiencing rough sleeping and those at risk of doing so to build a safer London for everyone.”

Albanese suggested the UK Government needs to do more to prevent homelessness in London and elsewhere, saying: “More widely, we have to do more to help people access support all year round. In England, we now estimate that more than 15,000 people are sleeping rough, an increase of around 150% since 2020. We need a minimum of emergency accommodation through the year as well as for periods of extreme weather. We have to start building the social homes we need and to help people cover their existing housing costs through measures like sufficient levels of housing benefit.

“Regarding how the public might be able to help in these conditions, asking a person sleeping rough how they are doing or offering to buy them a hot drink can make a difference. Striking up a conversation also means you are able to get their permission to contact Streetlink, and connect them to local homelessness services. If people perceive an emergency, they should call 999.”

Clutching the blanket which had been soaked through by the rain, Viktor headed to his hostel. He told Byline Times: “This is a nightmare, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy”. When asked if he thought his situation might improve, he said “in the Bible it says ask and you may get it sooner or later. But is is an effort”.