Rough sleeping has risen by 134 per cent in the last seven years and there are a host of ideas and plans on how to tackle the issue.
Sam Mitson, from Poole, Dorset, has decided to put his decade of expertise as an architect towards providing warm shelter for those living on the streets with his Thermo Shelter concept.
The portable structure promises to raise temperatures “by around 10 degrees” over a tent with a frame of insulation boards constructed with bungee cord and stoppers. A waterproof membrane ensures that the shelter remains dry by keeping it raised off the ground to prevent rising damp.
The entire structure folds away, like a tent, allowing it to be used as a lightweight emergency shelter in the event of extreme weather, as seen during ‘The Beast from the East’ when StreetLink referrals skyrocketed as the UK was battered by winter storms in March.
And Sam, who developed the idea after a bout of depression inspired him to volunteer with Poole homeless charity Routes to Roots, insists that he is keen to build a relationship with local charities to provide the emergency shelter as a way of helping battle sub-zero temperatures.
“I’m an architect who specialised in life disaster relief at uni so it has always been an area of interest for me,” he said.“I wanted to design something that was better than a tent basically and it is around 10 degrees warmer.
