Life on the streets is tough at the best of times but it must be unimaginably hard for Manchester’s homeless population when it snows.

As commuters struggle through freezing temperatures, the city’s rough sleepers are facing even more brutal conditions.

Emergency provision automatically kicks in when the temperature drops below freezing, meaning there is a warm place for everyone to bed down.

You can help by referring people on the streets who are in need of help by making a call to the relevant team in your area and you can find the contact numbers for each borough at the bottom of this article.

The Manchester City Council rough sleeper outreach team is on the streets to make sure those in need of shelter can get indoors and stay warm.

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Shelters are opened up as soon as one night of freezing temperatures is forecast and remain open until temperatures rise back up above zero.

When temperatures are not below freezing, shelters operate on a first-come-first served basis and people must be referred in by the council.

Hostels, meanwhile, are usually only available to people owed a ‘duty’ by the council - in other words, people who can show they are from the local area, are ‘unintentionally’ homeless and are particularly vulnerable.

But once it hits zero, everyone is guaranteed a place to sleep and can effectively just show up.

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

In Manchester the shelters are in and around the city centre but are not generally advertised to protect the often vulnerable people who use them.

The accommodation on offer varies from ‘sit up spaces’ offered by hostels to an emergency shelter run by for the council by Coffee 4 Craig. They provide sleeping bags, mats, armchairs and a TV. If the shelters and hostels run out of space, people are given a hotel room for the night.

That includes current volunteering opportunities, a donation page for the Big Change charity - which provides small amounts of money to homeless people for practical purposes such as bus fares, or furniture once they get into housing - and all key contact numbers.

The M.E.N. has pledged to support and publicise the Manchester Homelessness Charter at appropriate opportunities. If you are affected by issues surrounding homelessness in any way, or if you want to do something to help, click here.

Coun Bernard Priest, deputy leader of Manchester City Council, said: “There is support available for people all year round to help them off the streets and it’s especially important that people are aware of the additional shelter available in these severe weather conditions.

“We would urge people to follow this advice to get out of the cold and into the warm shelters provided by the council and its partners.”

Referring someone in need of help

Manchester city council

During the day, referrals into this accommodation can be made via:

The Council Rough Sleeper team - 0161 234 5339 or roughsleepersteam@manchester.gov.uk

For over 25s: Booth Centre

For under 25s: Centrepoint North

When daytime services are closed you can refer through:

MCC out of hours number on 0161 234 5001

Bolton council

During the day, ring Bolton Town Hall on 01204 333333. Out of hours you can refer via the duty social worker 01204 337777.

Bury council

The referral process is through the Housing Assessment Service

During office hours: 0161 253 5537 or hat@bury.gov.uk

Out of hours: 0161 253 6606

Oldham council

Provision can be accessed during office hours Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 9am – 5pm, Thursday 9am – 6pm

There is also a number for households who become homeless when the offices are closed: 0800 988 7061.

(Image: Jo Crossley)

Salford Council

Please contact: Salford Housing Options, 7 Wesley Street, Swinton. M27 6AD

Opening hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri: 08:30am – 4:30pm

Wed: 1pm – 4:30pm

Tel: 0161 607 1620

Out of hours: 0161 794 8888

Rochdale Council

Cold Weather Services in Rochdale: For anyone that needs information they can contact our accommodation service at Leopold Court 01706 923 511

Stockport council

If you are aware of someone who is sleeping rough, please contact Stockport Homes on 0161 474 4237 or email homechoice@stockporthomes.org with details of when and where you saw them and what they looked like.

Tameside council

To establish whether or not emergency provision is available in Tameside, ring Tameside Housing Advice and they will make the accommodation placement on a night by night basis and ask the person to return the next day. If the weather is forecast to below zero degrees Celsius the next night the accommodation will be rebooked.

Between 9am-3pm: 0161 331 2700

Out of hours: 0161 331 2700 or 0161 331 2888

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Trafford Council

Please contact: Housing Options Service Trafford (HOST), Waterside House, Sale Waterside, Sale. M33 7ZF

During office hours: 0161 793 3252

Out of hours: 0800 218 2000

Wigan Council

During office hours: Call the Housing Options Team on 01942 487 732 or people can attend at The Brick, 10 Arcade Street, Wigan. If you are aware of a rough sleeper, please email roughsleepatwigan.gov.uk@gmail.com

Out of hours: Referrals to be made via the duty social worker on 01942 828 777

There are outreach workers covering different areas in the city to connect with people who are rough sleeping and helping them to get inside if they want to. Each individual is assessed so that appropriate accommodation can be found based on their needs.

The M.E.N. has pledged to support and publicise the Manchester Homelessness Charter at appropriate opportunities. If you are affected by issues surrounding homelessness in any way, or if you want to do something to help, click here .