Teesside homelessness charities ready to help during cold weather
Snow and ice could come to the region today
We're hearing Teesside homelessness charities are ready to help people this weekend as a yellow weather warning's in place for snow and ice.
Cornerstone have hubs in Hartlepool and Bishop Auckland.
Nicky Morson, communications and support lead, said: "Our homeless prevention teams are on the streets daily following up any street links, speaking to the general public to see if they've seen anyone, and because we can directly verify them, we can take them directly off the street so we'll bring them back to our hubs and we'll look at their housing options.
"It does help with the weather being so severe that the council do have a pot of money to help us house more people but we've got to find them, and that's where we're so grateful for the help from the general public, same in Bishop Auckland and County Durham. Our teams are working very closely with councils to get everybody off the streets.
"We've got amazing teams that don't just do their shifts, they then drop on to volunteer to make sure that anybody who's verified homeless is directly taken off the street in SWEP. When cold weather protocols start, our mission is to work alongside other councils to just get everybody off the street as we know how dangerous the weather can be.
"We find especially when you're dealing with people who are homeless, if you're working reactively, there's only one person who's going to suffer and that's the person who's on the street who's still left out there, so we just have all of our emergency accommodation ready and we have all of the teams, names of the people who are down ready to volunteer, who wants to do what and we're just ready for it."
Cleveland Fire Brigade said: "With colder weather and icy conditions, we’re reminding drivers to take extra care on the roads. Always drive to the conditions, allow more time for journeys, and make sure your vehicle is fully de-iced before setting off.
"At home, it’s important to keep warm safely. Avoid using candles or tea lights, and keep portable heaters well away from anything that could catch fire. If you’re struggling to stay warm, our Stay Safe and Warm scheme can offer advice and support. Call 01429 874063 to find out more."