Forty-seven organisations sign open letter to Angela Rayner and ministers with fresh calls to tackle the systemic inequalities faced by homeless women
A coalition of leading homelessness, housing, violence against women and girls, health organisations, and local authorities has delivered an open letter to Angela Rayner and ministers with three calls to action that would reform the way that women’s rough sleeping and homelessness are recognised and responded to. The letter is supported by 47 organisations, networks, and local authorities across England, including SPEAR.
The calls to action are based on years of research by the Single Homeless Project and Solace, which used a gender-informed approach to counting women sleeping rough. The latest census results from 815 women across 41 local authorities tell us how, when, and where women sleep rough and what they experience and need.
The body of evidence estimates there may be up to nine times as many women rough sleeping across England than the Government’s annual Rough Sleeping Snapshot suggests. It also reveals that women’s needs are not being met, largely due to current Government policies and practices, which are based predominantly on the experiences of men.
In response, the coalition calls for the Government to change the way that women’s rough sleeping is recognised, counted and responded to:
- Make the Government’s response to homelessness and rough sleeping gender-informed
- Resource and lead the women’s rough sleeping census
- Ensure women have access to safe and suitable accommodation, including through national funding pots and guidance for local commissioners on women’s pathways
The third Women’s Rough Sleeping Census (2024) will take place in over 50 local authorities across England this September.
