Extreme Cold Weather Puts Homeless and Streetworkers At Risk

Frederikke Høye

February 8, 2026
11:02 am

Denmark’s historically cold start to 2025, with the coldest January in 16 years and a frigid February, is creating life-threatening conditions for vulnerable groups living and working on the streets. Sex workers and homeless individuals face extreme risks as temperatures plummet, with limited shelter options and increased dangers from exposure.

Dangerous Conditions for Street Workers

The cold weather has dramatically altered working conditions for sex workers in Copenhagen’s Vesterbro district. Women and transgender individuals who sell sexual services on the streets, in clinics, and at brothels are particularly vulnerable. The nature of their work prevents them from wearing heavy winter clothing, putting them at serious risk of hypothermia and illness.

Reden International, a support center in the heart of Vesterbro, provides warmth, counseling, and medical care to foreign sex workers. Many of these workers are unregistered migrants without access to Denmark’s healthcare system. The organization offers free medical assistance regardless of CPR number status.

Increased Violence and Risk-Taking

Beyond physical cold, the extreme weather forces sex workers into more dangerous situations. Lene Magrethe, leader of Reden International, explains that workers are pressured to negotiate less and compromise their boundaries more frequently. Cold, exhaustion, and desperation reduce their ability to insist on safety measures.

The center has arranged for workers to use bathroom facilities whenever lights are on in the building. Staff members describe it as heartbreaking to know people are working outside in such conditions. For many, being on the street during this weather means facing unpaid bills and financial pressures that cannot wait.

Homeless Population Faces Life-Threatening Exposure

Denmark’s homeless population is also suffering severely. According to recent data, the country has nearly 6,000 homeless individuals, with around 800 classified as particularly vulnerable. These individuals have no shelter beds, no place among friends or family, and either sleep on the streets or spend sporadic nights in emergency warming stations.

Kjartan Emhjellen, chairman of SAND Copenhagen (the Homeless National Organization), describes current conditions as truly dangerous for people on the street. Having lived homeless for 11 years before securing an apartment 18 months ago, he understands the risks firsthand.

Insufficient Shelter Capacity

Demand for shelter beds far exceeds supply, especially during extreme cold. Many facilities resort to lottery systems to determine who gets a bed each night. Most night shelters and warming stations do not open until 11 PM, and those who lose the lottery must venture back into the night with all their belongings to find somewhere to sleep.

Emhjellen describes this as undignified and inhumane. For homeless individuals already experiencing repeated setbacks, losing a bed lottery represents another crushing defeat. He recalls using the metro system just to escape the wind chill, accumulating numerous transit fines in the process.

Emergency Measures and Long-Term Needs

Following sustained criticism, Copenhagen Municipality opened additional spaces this week for homeless and vulnerable people needing refuge from the cold. The Sundholm facility on Amager now provides round-the-clock access, allowing people to stay throughout the day instead of being forced back outside in the morning.

Social affairs mayor Karina Vestergård Madsen announced that emergency shelters were notified that Sundholm stands ready to accommodate anyone needing warmth, food, and a place to sleep. These measures will continue as long as extreme cold persists.

Calls for Systemic Improvements

However, advocates argue that emergency measures are insufficient. Emhjellen calls for more permanent shelter spaces where people can remain throughout the day, not just overnight. He also recommends creating additional emergency options closer to where homeless individuals congregate, reducing the need to transport belongings across long distances in dangerous weather.

The typical shelter schedule, opening late at night and closing early in the morning, forces people into the cold during daytime hours when temperatures remain dangerously low. This pattern increases health risks and makes it difficult for individuals to access services, look for work, or take steps toward stable housing.

Vulnerable Populations Without Safety Nets

Both sex workers and homeless individuals represent groups without adequate safety nets. Many foreign sex workers operate outside official systems, lacking health insurance or legal protections. Similarly, homeless individuals often fall through gaps in social services, particularly during extreme weather events.

Organizations like Reden International operate on the principle that everyone should leave their doors stronger than when they entered. In freezing conditions, this means providing basic needs like warmth, rest, and medical attention that can literally save lives.

Weather Patterns and Future Concerns

January 2025 marked the coldest start to a year in 16 years, and February has continued the pattern of extreme cold. While most people can simply stay indoors, those whose lives and livelihoods depend on being outside face impossible choices between survival and meeting basic financial needs.

As climate patterns become more unpredictable, the need for robust support systems for vulnerable populations becomes increasingly urgent. Temporary solutions help during acute crises, but advocates emphasize the need for year-round improvements to shelter capacity, healthcare access, and pathways to stable housing.

Without comprehensive approaches addressing both immediate dangers and underlying vulnerabilities, each winter brings renewed life-threatening risks for Denmark’s most exposed residents.