Leeds Women’s Homelessness and Housing Frontline Network

Not all homelessness is visible; for many, survival means sleeping wherever they can find safety for the night.

The Leeds Women’s Homelessness and Housing Frontline Network launched in 2021 and is facilitated by Basis Yorkshire.

The network brings together frontline workers, lived experience representatives, voluntary sector organisations, statutory services and decision-makers to improve responses to women's homelessness across Leeds and the wider region.

Recognising that women's homelessness is often hidden and shaped by experiences such as domestic abuse, sexual violence, exploitation, poor mental health, involvement with the criminal justice system and insecure immigration status, the network provides a dedicated space for learning, collaboration and systems change. Alongside homelessness services, specialist organisations supporting women affected by multiple disadvantage are actively involved, ensuring diverse expertise informs discussions and solutions.

Through regular training, consultation events, partnership working and co-production activities, the network supports frontline staff to share knowledge, develop skills, influence local systems and improve outcomes for women experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. Recent areas of focus have included women's hidden homelessness, trauma-informed practice, hospital and prison discharge pathways, No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF), mental health, and the Leeds Women's Rough Sleeping Census.

The network plays an important role in amplifying frontline and lived experience perspectives, helping to inform local policy, service development and partnership responses. By creating opportunities for shared learning, reflection and collaboration, the network supports a more joined-up, gender-informed approach to ending women's homelessness and tackling the systems that contribute to it.

Key Focus Areas

Women's homelessness and hidden homelessness
Trauma-informed and gender-informed practice
Co-production and lived experience involvement
Health, housing and discharge pathways
Multiple disadvantage and housing
Partnership working and systems change
Influencing local policy and practice through frontline insight

What People Say About the Network

"Being able to deliver this training has given me the opportunity to share my knowledge, skills and experience in areas of work that may be less familiar to others. It has helped bridge the gap between services, giving colleagues a better understanding of how different services operate and how we can work together to support clients more effectively." - Training Facilitator

"Really interesting and helpful to hear a range of voices on what can help frontline staff in their roles." - Network Member

"It was a great introduction to the session and a valuable opportunity to meet people and share ideas and experiences. I really liked the use of Mentimeter to gather feedback from the group, as it took the pressure off one person having to report back and allowed us to focus on meaningful discussion." - Network Member

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Leeds Women’s Homelessness and Housing Frontline Network