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Women’s rough sleeping census 2023

Women’s rough sleeping census 2023

Women’s rough sleeping census 2023

Tuesday, April 23, 2024


The Government-mandated rough sleeping counts and estimates undertaken by local authorities tell us women make up around 15% of people sleeping rough. This figure is similar in London and nationally. But is this data showing us the true picture?

Why is women’s rough sleeping less visible?

Since rough sleeping was defined by the Government for the purposes of enumeration in 2010, a growing body of research, the accounts of women with lived experience of rough sleeping, and the experiences of front line services have all pointed to the fact that women are underrepresented in data. The reasons for this vary, but the main reason is that, due to a constant fear of violence and abuse, women often rough sleep in hidden and transient ways, which mean they are less likely to be seen ‘bedded down or about to bed down’ than men. This means that they are likely to be overlooked in rough sleeping counts, and can also result in women being less able to access rough sleeping services and accommodation, as in many local authorities people must be ‘verified’ as sleeping rough by being seen by outreach workers ‘bedded down or about to bed down’, in order to access support and accommodation.

The women’s rough sleeping census: a gender informed methodology

The women’s rough sleeping census was developed in 2022 in response to the problem of enumerating women’s rough sleeping described above. The coalition of organisations and researchers that developed the methodology drew on existing research, the accounts of women with lived experience of rough sleeping and the experiences of front line services to create a methodology shaped around the experiences of women who sleep rough. The methodology for the women’s rough sleeping census 2023 involved:

  • Over a 7 day period, outreach teams and other cross sector services undertook a short survey with women they encountered who identified as having rough slept in the last 3 months. It was recommended that outreach teams undertook ‘gender informed’ outreach shifts to find women who may not be identified during generic outreach shifts.
  • Following the census week, local authorities were asked to undertake census data meetings. These involved cross sector services coming together to share data on the numbers of women they knew to have been rough sleeping within the last three months.

Key findings from the 2023 London census

  • 391 survey responses were received across London, compared to 159 women seen in the normal snapshot count, despite the census taking place in 7 less local authorities.
  • Women reported sleeping rough/sheltering overnight in a variety of ‘hidden’ locations including A&E waiting rooms, on buses or trains, in squats, and in many other locations where they are unlikely to be identified by outreach workers tasked with verifying and supporting people sleeping rough.
  • As with the 2022 census, women reported rough sleeping patterns which were transient and intermittent, meaning they are less likely to be identified by outreach workers tasked with verifying and supporting people sleeping rough. For example, a significant proportion of women (120 women) reported that they had spent the night walking around.
  • 56.8% of respondents (222 women) reported that they had been homeless in some form before rough sleeping. This data speaks to the fact that rough sleeping often forms part of a trajectory of women’s homelessness, and that preventative work is needed to resolve women’s homelessness before they resort to rough sleeping.
  • 33.7% of respondents (133 women) reported that they had been in some form of homelessness accommodation prior to rough sleeping. This included council and government provided homelessness accommodation, and homelessness services such as hostels and refuges. This data demonstrates that for many women, the accommodation offered to them is not resolving their homelessness, as it is either unsuitable for their needs or they have been unable to sustain it.

Read the full London report here


What next?

In 2023, an additional 14 local authorities nationally took part in the census as well as London. Change Grow Live have brought the data from across England together into a report, which will be launched at an online webinar on 7th May. You can sign up for your free ticket here: Women's Rough Sleeping Census: 2023 Report Launch Tickets, Tue 7 May 2024 at 10:30 | Eventbrite

Chaired by Homeless Link, the event will include speakers from services and local authorities across England talking about their experiences of delivering the census. The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will be speaking about their support for ending women's rough sleeping, and the census team will be explaining how areas can take part in the women’s census in 2024.

Call to action

Women's rough sleeping isn't just a homelessness issue. It's a serious health issue, a Safeguarding issue and an Equalities issue. National policy and practice change is needed if women's rough sleeping are to be equitably recognised and responded to.

If you want to find out more, take part in the census this year or support the census’s calls to action, sign up for the event today!

 

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