International Women’s Day takes place on 8 March every year. It’s a chance for us to reflect on the achievements we’ve made towards equality while taking action to continue progress.

This year’s theme is Embrace Equity which couldn’t come at a more fitting time. While equality is often what we strive for (and is completely well-intentioned), it’s not enough. This is because women facing homelessness experience unique barriers to safety which mean traditional methods of supporting people often fail.

What makes women’s homelessness unique?

Our research shows us that men and women can experience homelessness very differently before, during and after their homelessness journey begins. Available support often fails to consider this, which can lead to women avoiding homelessness services that don’t feel set up for their needs. This allows spaces to become more male-dominated and male-centred which has allowed this cycle to continue.

In fact, women’s homelessness makes up the majority of all recorded homelessness when considering families in temporary accommodation, sofa surfing, rough sleeping and ‘hidden’ forms of homelessness.

This is especially alarming when we consider how gender can impact experiences of homelessness. Women facing homelessness are especially vulnerable to violence. Additionally, they’re more likely to face stigma, sexual abuse and harassment, with the serious impact on physical and mental health that this has, as well as on self-esteem.

When these factors come together, a woman might develop coping mechanisms such as substance use, or find their mental health is severely impacted, making it even harder to find stability and break away.

Women might try to manage the risks of rough sleeping by disguising their gender, finding quiet places out of sight to bed down, moving around, or forming a relationship for some form of protection. All of these factors mean they are often ‘hidden’ from data collection (which informs how we tackle homelessness) and outreach teams who could support them.

To read more about women’s experiences while homeless, click here.

What are we doing about women’s homelessness?

This International Women’s Day 2023 and beyond, we’re here for women facing homelessness. We have a weekly women-only space at our centre which allows a valuable opportunity for women to come together, access support and share their experiences of homelessness in a safe and supportive environment.

We are also developing the 18 Keys project with the St Martin’s Trust, which will transform St Martin’s House into a dedicated space with 18 self-contained studio flats for those who identify as women. You can find out more about this project here.

This week also sees the publication of results from the first ever census for women sleeping rough to improve data collection
and understanding of the issues they face. You can find out about our census here.