Are we overlooking homeless women in our cities? What if the data on rough sleeping fails to capture the true extent of women’s homelessness?
“The solutions that we have to resolve homelessness aren’t resolving women’s homelessness,” says Lucy Campbell, who works for the non-profit Single Homeless Project based in London. Specialising in women’s homelessness, Campbell works to bridge gender gaps in tracking and monitoring homelessness. A few years ago, she collaborated with the domestic abuse charity, Solace Women’s Aid, and other partners to launch the Women’s Rough Sleeping Census, aiming to develop methodologies for identifying homeless women in London.
“We know from research and from the lived experiences of women that we support in multiple services, that homeless women face much higher levels of violence and abuse. As a result, they tend to avoid visible locations like streets or doorways and instead find hidden places to sleep, which creates two major issues,” continues Campbell.
She explains that outreach services—tasked with identifying and helping rough sleepers—often don’t see these women because they stay in places like hospital waiting rooms, public restrooms, or spend nights walking.
Secondly, due to verification rules in England, outreach workers can’t classify women as rough sleepers unless they’re seen sleeping outdoors, making it even harder to connect them with housing solutions. This invisibility means women often endure longer periods of homelessness than men, Campbell concludes.
The ‘Women’s Rough Sleeping Census’ not only advocates for new counting methods but also calls for a broader definition of rough sleeping to include women’s experiences, like spending nights walking or staying in safe places such as McDonald’s. The result?
The solutions that we have to resolve homelessness aren’t resolving women’s homelessness
Campbell’s study, conducted with the University of York in 2021, revealed that homelessness among women is likely far higher than the data previously showed. “This study set the foundation for our Women’s Rough Sleeping Census,” she adds. The project has since released two key reports: ‘Making Women Count (2023)’, which analyses gendered data, and a national report released this year that builds on these insights.
Women, the invisible
Last year, the project’s survey of 815 homeless women found that only half were in contact with homelessness services, highlighting a need to reassess provisions. “Homeless services, including outreach, were largely designed around men’s experiences, assuming their needs are universal,” says Campbell. “There’s a lot more work to do to ensure our services feel safe, supportive, and equipped for women. It’s not just about finding them but also having the right support once we do.”
“If you ask people to describe a typical homeless person, they’ll picture a middle-aged man, dirty, with a beard,” says Clarisa Loch, Head of Homeless Counselling in Dusseldorf. “But homelessness is incredibly varied—there are men, children, families, elderly people, and the number of homeless people over 80 is increasing rapidly.”
Homeless services, including outreach, were largely designed around men’s experiences, assuming their needs are universal
While indeed, the typical representation of a homeless person shows a man, recent numbers disprove that. When considering a broad enough definition of homelessness that covers modalities that women tend to use more (like staying with family and friends, which is often dangerous and puts them in exploitative positions), women represent about 50% of homeless people, according to Dalma Fabian, Policy Officer at the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless.
Research shows that women represent roughly half of the homeless population in broader definitions that include unsafe or temporary living situations with friends or family. Women’s homelessness is also growing faster than men’s. For instance, in Spain, the number of women who became homeless within the past month increased by 122%, compared to a 45% increase for men. Women also face unique challenges, from eviction vulnerabilities (when their names aren’t on rental contracts) to heightened risks of violence.
Women, those facing extra challenges
In some cases, the situation of homelessness starts with unequal relationship dynamics. “For example, if there’s a couple, it’s often the woman that moves into the man’s home, which means the renting contract is under his name,” explains Loch. If he ejects her, Loch continues, she must move out as no law supports these women unless they are married. “We noticed that those who lose their flats are mostly women, sometimes with children,” she adds.
When homeless, women face several extra challenges, including heightened vulnerability to violence, particularly sexual violence, especially when sleeping rough. To avoid homelessness, some women resort to prostitution.
Not only that, but experience has shown Loch that, when needed, women face more difficulties in accessing services that are being envisioned for people experiencing homelessness, but often cater more to the needs of men.
“My team focuses mainly on finding emergency shelters for women and giving them better access to the health system as we noticed that women don’t go to the shelter as easily as men, as they are afraid that something will happen to them,” Loch explains.
This not only happens in Dusseldorf but also in London. Of the women Campbell’s team surveyed last year, a third had previously used some form of shelter but felt so unsafe that they returned to rough sleeping.
We’ve got 14 years of inaccurate data
In addition to not being easily found, women experiencing homelessness often have unique needs that existing services fail to address. To begin with, many homeless women are mothers, which means that services need to accommodate family needs, however many of these children are either in foster care or living with another guardian. Existing provisions for women rarely accommodate both women with substance use disorders and their children, complicating family reunification and reducing access to support for mothers experiencing homelessness.
Service planning must consider this dynamic, including providing spaces for mother-child visits and ensuring rehousing options accommodate potential reunification. For instance, offering housing that is spacious enough for a mother to regain guardianship is essential, as smaller flats can pose significant barriers to family reunification later.
Women, missed in the count
While very few cities in Europe have adopted gender-specific methods of counting homeless people, there is growing interest. “In England, we’re encouraging as many areas as possible to try this approach,” explains Campbell. Greater Manchester identified only five women last year using traditional methods but found 188 women using the Single Homeless Project’s approach.
She emphasises that “we’ve been doing it the old way for 14 years, so we’ve got 14 years of inaccurate data.” Meanwhile, Loch’s work triggered happy endings in Dusseldorf. “We improved our standards of emergency shelters for women, and after that, we noticed that more women were coming. It didn’t mean that we have suddenly more homeless women, but that the health system has finally improved, and that women appreciate this support.”
We went to the newspapers and said ‘this is what we’ve opened now. It’s a secure place for women
Loch’s team is committed to providing safe spaces for women. “When we improved most of the shelters, we went to the newspapers and said ‘this is what we’ve opened now. It’s a secure place for women. Men are not allowed to enter this place.’ There’s a security and we try to make it really friendly.” The shelters opened a cafe for women only that includes a space for children to play, and there are counselling services. “It’s really beautiful,” Loch adds.
