The London Women’s Rough Sleeping Census is back for 2024.

Our day-to-day work tells us that women are some of the most vulnerable people within the rough sleeping and homeless population. However, we also know that women are consistently under-represented in rough sleeping statistics.

Now in its third year, the Women’s Rough Sleeping Census aims to better capture data about the extent of women’s rough sleeping.

It is different from the usual overnight ‘snapshot’ count because it takes place during the day too, over the course of a full week. This is because we know women sleep rough less visibly than men and are therefore less likely to meet traditional outreach teams.

The first Women’s Rough Sleeping Census in 2022 found 154 women rough sleeping in London in a week. This indicates a higher number of women sleeping rough in London than previously believed. It also emphasises that women’s rough sleeping is often transient, intermittent and hidden – which means that women are often not represented in official statistics and are therefore often precluded from accessing support and housing.

We hope that the Women’s Rough Sleeping Census 2024 will mean women will continue to be recognised, counted and ultimately better served by homelessness provision in years to come.