Emergency beds are open across London, Bromley included, for anyone sleeping rough until Monday 16 November. Call StreetLink on 0300 500 0914 to report someone.

Overview

London’s Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) is active from Friday 13 November and is expected to run until Monday 16 November, with temperatures forecast to fall to 0°C or below. London boroughs, Bromley among them, and homelessness charities are opening extra emergency accommodation so anyone sleeping rough can come inside. If you see someone sleeping out in Bromley, Beckenham, Orpington or anywhere in the borough, report them to StreetLink online or on 0300 500 0914.

Anyone sleeping rough in the borough of Bromley this weekend can be offered a warm place indoors until at least Monday. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and London Councils switched on the protocol across the capital on Friday 13 November, the first time it has been used this winter.

City Hall said London boroughs and homelessness charities will open extra emergency accommodation, and the Mayor funds a London-wide overflow service to provide more places where they are needed.

How it works in Bromley

Bromley Council’s rough sleepers page says its housing options and support service works with partner agencies to get people off the streets and into accommodation “as quickly as possible”, and that this “is even more important during periods of cold weather”. The council says it holds regular task and targeting meetings so the most vulnerable rough sleepers get support with health, mental health, substance use and employment as they move into accommodation.

The council relies on residents to tell it where people are sleeping. A StreetLink referral is passed to the South-East Regional Outreach team, which the council says will try to make contact using the details you give.

How to report someone sleeping rough

  1. Note exactly where the person is: the street, the doorway or bench, the nearest shop or landmark, and the time you saw them. The council asks for “an exact description and location”.
  2. Send the details to StreetLink through the online form or by calling its 24-hour line, 0300 500 0914, charged at the local rate.
  3. You may be asked for an email address, so the outreach worker can tell you what happened. The council says everything you give is held “in the strictest confidence”.

The cold alert trial

City Hall and London Councils encourage boroughs to follow the Mayor’s “In for Good” approach: while someone is in emergency accommodation, staff assess what support they need and look at longer-term options, rather than sending them back out when the cold ends.

This winter, some boroughs are also trialling what City Hall calls Enhanced SWEP. Those boroughs will open extra emergency places when the UK Health Security Agency and the Met Office issue a Cold Health Alert for London, even if temperatures are forecast to stay above freezing. City Hall has not said which boroughs are taking part. The London-wide trigger stays at 0°C, and the details are set out in City Hall and London Councils’ Pan-London SWEP Guidance 2026/27.

The numbers

  • Last winter SWEP was active for 11 nights, and London boroughs gave emergency accommodation to 1,491 people during those activations.
  • City Hall says more than 21,000 people have been helped off London’s streets since 2016, and three quarters of them have stayed off the streets for good.
  • In 2025/26, City Hall’s rough sleeping budget was more than five times the £8.45m a year it was when the Mayor took office in 2016.

What the Mayor and London Councils said

Sadiq Khan said: “No one should have to sleep on the streets, and freezing temperatures can put lives at risk. That’s why we’re working with London boroughs and homelessness charities to open extra emergency accommodation and help people sleeping rough get somewhere warm and safe.

“Coming indoors can be the first step towards getting off the streets for good. We want people to get the support they need to find a longer-term place to stay.

“If you see someone sleeping rough, please let StreetLink know so an outreach team can try to find them and offer help.”

Cllr Anthony Okereke, London Councils’ Executive Member for Housing and Homelessness, said: “Councils across London provide targeted support for people sleeping rough every day. SWEP measures are a crucial part of that work, helping to ensure every Londoner has access to a warm, safe place to stay, saving lives.

“But our efforts must go beyond immediate protection from the cold. It is vital that we help people into safe, settled accommodation for the long term. We will continue to work closely with the Mayor and local partners, supporting the government’s ambition to eradicate rough sleeping and strengthening our collective efforts to end homelessness across the capital.”

The protocol is expected to end on Monday 16 November, and London switches it on again whenever the forecast falls to freezing.