Cripplegate Foundation’s Post

Women's homelessness is finally front page news. However we've seen how women often hide their homelessness first hand for years - this article about the Marylebone Project from December 2004, 'Where the hidden homeless go', identifies how interlinked abuse and homelessness are for women. https://lnkd.in/ei5s65BD We readily welcome the women's rough sleeping census, and this article highlighting it, delivered by Single Homeless Project and Solace Women's Aid. They are finally putting research behind what we've known for years - that women are so often excluded from discussions, and consequently from services, that support with homelessness. We are eager to make sure that this new research and media attention will lead to the change we so desperately need in 2025 - together, we can make a difference to the lives of women facing homelessness.

It’s shocking to hear how underrepresented women are in official rough sleeping statistics, and the knock on effects this will have regarding the support they receive. It is logical that women will avoid the typical locations associated with rough sleeping due to the risks of sleeping on the street, however it is concerning to learn how many women may be missed by outreach services. The knock on effects this has on the opportunity for exploitation/abuse, and potentially prolonging the time spent without accommodation, could be substantial. I would recommend having a read of the full summary.

One of our key election asks is for the next government to adopt a gender informed approach to its policies when tackling women’s homelessness. As the 2023 Women’s Rough Sleeping Census showed, women’s experiences of rough sleeping are often ‘hidden, transient and intermittent’; women are underrepresented in homelessness statistics since they are less inclined to visibly sleep rough for reasons of safety, out of sight of outreach teams and offers of assistance. The inequity in current rough sleeping definitions, strategies, and homelessness data collection disadvantage women. ‘Ending rough sleeping for good,’ as set out in government strategy, will not happen unless the specific and diverse needs of women experiencing homelessness are met. You can find out more about the latest Census, led by Solace Women's Aid and Single Homeless Project, and its implications in the latest blog on our website by our Migrant Services and Advocacy Manager, Anna Yassin: https://lnkd.in/eseEYryr

We’re excited to announce that the Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness has partnered with Ihi Research and Taylor Fry, to conduct research into women’s homelessness in Aotearoa.    We weave together interviews from wāhine and kaimahi/frontline workers with data from Census 2018 and Census 2023 to paint a picture of women’s gendered experiences of homelessness and what we can do to prevent it.     The full report will be released later this week on December 5th at Parliament. Stay tuned for further insights into women’s homelessness, and the solutions emerging.    #letsendwomenshomelessness #homesforallwomen #safehousingforwomen 

📣 Join Us in Supporting Women Experiencing Rough Sleeping! 📣 Single Homeless Project and Solace Women's Aid have created a Manifesto for Change to inform the Mayor’s Rough Sleeping Plan. This manifesto draws from the lived experiences of nearly 1,000 women in London, captured through three Women’s Rough Sleeping Censuses. It outlines five clear steps to address the unique challenges women face while rough sleeping: 1️⃣ Definition: Make London’s rough sleeping response configured around an understanding of how women experience rough sleeping. 2️⃣ Data: All London local authorities must gather accurate and inclusive data on women’s rough sleeping. 3️⃣ Equity & Safety: London’s commissioned rough sleeping services and systems must be equitable, accessible, and safe for women. 4️⃣ Integration: Sectors supported and represented by departments in the GLA must integrate and develop cross-sector strategies, pathways, and practices that help women experiencing rough sleeping access housing support as quickly as possible—no matter where in the system they are. 5️⃣ Prevention & Intervention: Ensure that women are provided with the information and resources they need so they do not spend a night rough sleeping and can access safe services designed for their needs. 📣 Take Action: The Mayor is calling for evidence to shape his Rough Sleeping Plan. This is a critical moment to address and meet the specific needs of women experiencing homelessness. 👉 Include the manifesto in your organisation’s response to the Mayor's call for evidence: https://shorturl.at/wGsLb 👉 Alternatively, email the manifesto directly: RoughSleepingCommissioning@london.gov.uk Together, we can amplify this collective call for change and make a meaningful difference for women experiencing homelessness in London. #WomensHomelessness #HomelessnessAwareness #RoughSleeping #LondonMayor

At lunchtime today I'll be in Parliament with my Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness colleagues launching our research report "Ngā Ara ki te Kāinga: Understanding Barriers and Solutions to Women’s Homelessness in Aotearoa" About 50 000 women are currently homeless (50 percent of homeless). They are largely invisible. You are unlikely to see them sleeping rough because its not safe and many have children. You won't see them in government statistics because housing data hasn't been disaggregated by gender. You won't hear their voices because there is little research and evaluation that captures their experience. The Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness in commissioning the research report we will release today hopes to make women experiencing homelessness more visible. We are calling for ✔️ Government agencies to develop comprehensive policy and operational frameworks that specifically address women's housing needs, including improved gender disaggregated data collection and analysis. ✔️ A national strategy dedicated to women's homelessness that provides targeted support for wāhine Māori, Pacific women, older women, single mothers, and other marginalized women's groups. ✔️ Stronger, coordinated partnerships between government agencies, community providers, Māori, and iwi organizations to deliver holistic support. ✔️ Prioritization of targeted prevention and early intervention programmes for women at high risk of homelessness. With a social investment approach, special focus should be given to single mothers, older women facing financial insecurity, and women experiencing domestic violence. ✔️ Implementation of a robust monitoring and evaluation framework to continuously assess the effectiveness of interventions and policies targeting women's homelessness. Check out my thoughts and more of the research findings in my Newsroom NZ column this week. #homeless #homelesswomen #genderequity #genderequality #research #policy Wellington Homeless Women's Trust

This year's Point-in-Time Homelessness Count shows a significant decrease in the number of individuals who are unsheltered in Phoenix. The number of unsheltered individuals decreased by 19%, while the number of those sheltered increased by 15%. Though this drop demonstrates the work we’ve done, there’s still more we need to do to end homelessness. It is vital that we continue our efforts to get our unsheltered residents into safer situations. Read more here: https://bit.ly/4bLtmdK

Today we’re releasing a new brief, “Homelessness in Greater Boston: An Update.” https://buff.ly/4gimqGL. Tonight also marks the annual homelessness census, a numerical snapshot of homelessness conducted nationally on one night each January. One challenge that makes it tough to understand homelessness in Greater Boston is the time lag between when data is collected and when it is released. The data from tonight’s annual homelessness census, for example, won’t be available until later this year. Fortunately, we do have newly available Boston data from January 2024 that’s featured in our brief, and while these numbers are a year old, they do confirm what had been suspected: homelessness has risen sharply. This increase is likely driven by an increase in homeless families fleeing hardships abroad. In Greater Boston, the number of people experiencing homelessness rose an estimated 67 percent from January 2023 to January 2024. To learn more, check out the brief.

We are very pleased to share that the Women’s Rough Sleeping Census was on the front page of The Mirror on Sunday, along with a two-page spread. The early findings of this year's census show that the number of women sleeping rough is nearly double the Government’s figures. This is a vital piece of research we’re proud to lead alongside Single Homeless Project, produced with Change Grow Live and Crisis.   These women are often unseen: sofa-surfing, staying in unsafe environments, or choosing isolation to avoid the dangers of public spaces. The vast majority have faced domestic abuse, sexual violence, or other profound trauma. Women’s homelessness is deeply intertwined with gender-based violence and systemic failures. A lack of safe, affordable housing and trauma-informed services leaves too many with nowhere to turn.    The Women’s Rough Sleeping Census is a crucial step in making these invisible experiences visible. But we need action to ensure no woman is left behind. To tackle this crisis, we must:   ❗Recognise the unique, gendered challenges women face in homelessness. ❗Invest in tailored, trauma-informed support and safe housing solutions. ❗Address the root causes, including violence against women and girls.   The three-part series also includes an interview with Lainey, who has spoken about her experience of rough sleeping, and an op ed by Lucy Campbell, one of the leads on the census. We will be sharing the full results of the census in the coming months, keep an eye out to see more.   You can read the main news story here: https://lnkd.in/etKmqpSZ Lainey's story here: https://lnkd.in/eQadR39s And Lucy's op ed here: https://lnkd.in/eTa74Ry4 A huge thank you to Lucy at SHP and our Women's Rough Sleeping Policy Manager, Eleanor Greenhalgh, for leading the census, and to Simon Murphy for shining a light on this important work. #HiddenHomelessness #WomensRoughSleepingCensus #EndVAWG #SafeHousingNow

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤. Homelessness Week aims to build community support and government commitment to end homelessness. 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬: On any given night, 122,494 people in Australia are experiencing homelessness (ABS Census 2021). One in seven people experiencing homelessness are children under 12 (ABS Census 2021). 23 per cent of people experiencing homelessness (almost one in 4) are children and young people between 12 and 24 (ABS Census 2021). One in five people experiencing homelessness are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (ABS Census 2021). Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/g8A5ezt2