Rough sleeper tent safety guidance

Preston City Council would like to take this opportunity to promote guidance on why we do not advocate the issuing of tents to those who are, or at risk of, sleeping rough, as they potentially pose risks to their occupants and others.

Risks 

Rough sleepers are more vulnerable to attack and assault from others whilst in a tent as they will not be able to see their assailants coming and have reduced response time; incidents where tents have been set on fire have been recorded throughout the country, which have resulted in death, injury, and the destruction of rough sleepers' belongings.

• In February 2023, a tent was set on fire at approximately 6:30pm whilst a man was sleeping inside; he was fortunately able to escape unharmed, as the smell of smoke woke him.
• In January 2024, a homeless woman's tent was set on fire; although unharmed, she was distraught at her belongings were destroyed.
• In January 2024, the tent of a homeless man in Cardiff was set on fire at around 2am whilst he slept inside; he was taken to hospital with burn injuries.

Tents can result in incidents where the occupant does not receive crisis support when needed, because the crisis has remained unseen within the tent. This has resulted in death due to accidental overdose, and failure to access support.

• In March 2024, a 69-year-old vulnerable man was found dead in a tent due to morphine toxicity, having managed to avoid the attention of support agencies.
• In 2018, a homeless man who had been living in a tent in Weston-Super-Mare died alone and no-one found his body until it had severely decomposed; his tent was a five-minute drive to Weston General Hospital and just yards away from homes in the area.
• In May 2024, a homeless person living in a tent in Southampton was found dead after an accidental overdose.

Tents can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, as risky decisions are made in order to keep warm.

• In June 2022, a homeless man died from carbon monoxide poisoning while sleeping next to a vent outside a church to try and keep warm.

Tents can become locations of illegal, abusive, and antisocial behaviour, such as drug-use and street drinking.

• In October 2023, a man was arrested on suspicion of rape after reports that a woman was assaulted whilst inside of a tent in Leeds City Centre
• In 2022, a woman was sexually assaulted by a stranger whilst she slept in a tent in Manchester City Centre

Tents can potentially be a public health concern if they get abandoned as they can attract vermin.

Providing a rough sleeper with a tent can help to maintain a street lifestyle for some people and counteract the more tailored approach intended to meet their long-term needs.

Guidance for Rough Sleepers 

Tent-related injury and deaths are a real concern, and documented incidents have occurred throughout the country; such incidents are not restricted to rough sleepers either, with documented injuries, incidents and deaths involving tents used for camping in both rural areas and campsites as well as rough sleeping.

We do, however, recognise that some rough sleepers chose to make use of tents to help keep themselves dry and warm, so with this in mind, we have created the following guidelines to ensure that tent-users are remaining as safe as possible:

Consider if you need a tent

Preston Council does not support using tents if you are rough sleeping, and would urge you to consider other options and support available first; this may include night services or temporary accommodation.

Download the tent safety guidance - Are there safer options?   (PDF, 1 MB)

Think about where you pitch your tent

Are you likely to cause an obstruction or get asked to move?

Is it in a safe location, away from anything that could cause injury?

It may be tempting to pitch your tent near a source of heat, but this could put you at risk of fire or carbon monoxide poisoning (from a building vent, for example).

You may want to avoid places with heavy footfall and also areas that are very remote and isolated. 

Download the tent safety guidance - Consider your tent location (PDF, 1022 KB)

Don't allow people into your tent that you don't know or trust

It can be easy to offer others to sleep in your tent; this will provide additional body heat and company, but if you do not know them, you may be putting yourself at risk of assault or theft.

Don't smoke or have a fire, barbeque or candle inside or near your tent

It can be tempting to bring a light and heat source into your tent, but anything involving a naked flame will put you at risk of fire, and of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Even a fire lit outside your tent which appears to have died down can still pose risk of fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. If you do light a fire, we suggest you keep this away from your tent to prevent this, and also reduce the risk of your tent catching fire.

Download the tent safety guidance - Keep flames away from your tent (PDF, 966 KB)

Don't stay in your tent all the time

It's important that you leave your tent and engage with other people, as well as attending any appointments that you may have.

If you stay in your tent and have minimal contact with others, then if your health declines, nobody will notice, so you may not get the support you need. By leaving your tent daily, people will see that you are alive and well.

Download the tent safety guidance - Don't just stay in your tent (PDF, 1 MB)

You should still engage with homeless and other support services

It may be tempting to stay in your tent, especially if it's cold and wet, but doing so could prevent your from being provided with suitable accommodation and other support that that you may need.

You should still engage with support services, even though you may now feel more secure in a tent.

Tell someone where your tent is located

Ideally, this should be an outreach worker, so that they can check on you to ensure that you are safe and well.

Don't leave valuables and belongings in your tent.

To prevent theft or damage of your belongings, you should carry your valuables with you when you leave your tent.

Download the tent safety guidance - Tell someone where you are (PDF, 1 MB)

Leave a space between your tent and someone else's

Whilst we understand that putting your tent next to someone else's may help you feel safe and secure, it increases the spread of fire if a tent catches alight.

If you are rough sleeping and would like some support

Visit StreetLink - Connecting people sleeping rough to local services.

Guidance for Partners and Professionals 

Whilst Preston City Council would discourage other organisations from supplying tents to rough sleepers, we still recognise the intention behind doing so. With this in mind, if tents are being given out, we would request that they do so following the below guidance, to help ensure the safety of the rough sleepers.

• Issue the above information to rough sleepers when the tent is given out; this is available in electronic and printed formats. Please contact the Rough Sleeper Initiative (RSI) team if you require these: email - outreach@preston@gov.uk, or through The Street Link website. 
• Try to find out where the rough sleeper is planning on pitching their tent and notify the RSI team; the outreach workers will then be able to check on the rough sleepers to ensure that they are safe and well.
• Avoid issuing flame-retardant tents. Flame-retardant tents may offer some protection in the event of a tent catching on fire, but they will only slow down the spread of fire and will not make it completely fireproof. Research shows that the chemicals used to make a tent flame-retardant may actually pose a greater risk to health and can be found in the air inside the tent and on a person's hands after setting up a tent.
• Find out if the individual needs anything else to keep warm whilst rough sleeping, such as hats, socks, gloves or sleeping bags. The RSI team can provide these, so if there is an additional need, please direct the individual to the Town Hall or contact the team using the details below.