Setting the record straight on Women's Homelessness

New findings from the third national Women’s Rough Sleeping Census, by Solace and Single Homeless Project alongside Crisis and Change Grow Live, reveal that government figures dramatically underestimate the number of women sleeping rough. 

The Women’s Rough Sleeping report aims to capture the most accurate picture possible of women’s experiences of homelessness across the country. By bringing local councils, charities and services together, the report counts women who are historically hidden from the official data. 

The findings of the report, How do we Sleep at Night? reveals that there are ten times more women sleeping rough than the government statistics show, and recommends that the Government develops a specific chapter on women’s homelessness. 

“Women experience homelessness. and the risk of it, in very different and often hidden ways. Many find themselves stuck in unsafe situations and may not feel safe or confident enough to reach out for support. Right now, there simply aren’t enough gender-specific services to meet their needs. What’s urgently needed are safe, trauma-informed spaces that truly understand their experiences and provide the right care. We believe no one should be overlooked, and everyone deserves the chance to have a safe, secure place to call home. That’s why taking part in the Women’s Census is so important to St Petrocs”. 

-Amanda Wright
Director of Service Development

 Key report findings 

•  The Government is not looking in the right places - Many of the locations where women spend the night are not classified as ‘rough sleeping’ in the Government’s snapshot counts, such as A&E departments, libraries, or public transport. This means over half (54%) of women reported sleeping rough in the types of public spaces that would not have been  included in official data collection and therefore unlikely to receive support from outreach teams. 

• Accommodation services aren’t designed for women’s needs - One third of respondents (37%) reported that they had been in some form of homelessness accommodation before sleeping rough. This shows that current services often fail to meet women’s needs and aren’t enough to prevent them from sleeping rough. 

• Services aren’t joined up - Homelessness services aren’t set up to reach women. 77% weren’t getting support from a housing officer or council housing team, 43% weren’t in touch with a homelessness service, and a third weren’t accessing either. Even when women do engage with other services - like drug and alcohol support - those services are often not equipped to help with homelessness. 

These experiences are echoed in Cornwall, where frontline workers have seen women forced to rely on unsafe environments and informal networks just to survive the night. 

Click here to read the full report>>