Census finds undercount of women sleeping rough in England, health risks highlighted
Health factors like violence, pregnancy and mental health shape women's rough sleeping; charities say the problem is undercounted
London — The Women's Rough Sleeping Census, carried out annually since 2022 by Solace Women's Aid and partner charities, indicates that the number of women sleeping rough in England is far higher than government data shows. The 2025 census began this week and will run through Sunday, with researchers visiting public spaces that women commonly use when rough sleeping and asking a standardized set of questions about where they sleep and why.
Teams from two charities have been going out in the early mornings to count women sleeping rough in places such as public toilets, fast-food outlets and on buses. The effort aims to give voice to women's experiences that have long been invisible in official statistics. "We've known for years that women's rough sleeping is underestimated, from women's own accounts of their situation," Lucy Campbell, assistant director at Single Homeless Project, said. "But there was never any data to back that up. So in 2022 we worked with Solace Women's Aid and a number of other organisations to design a way to go out and give voice to some of these women's experiences." The census asks a series of questions about where women are sleeping, and the team notes that many female rough sleepers disguise their gender for safety. First stop is the women's toilets at Victoria Station, where the team finds three homeless women washing their clothes in the sink. While they fill in the questionnaire, they are offered a £10 food voucher each. The team also notes a bundled-up person sleeping on a bench in the station, and at first they are not sure of the person's gender.
Outside the station is a young woman begging. The team ascertain that she isn't street homeless, take her details, offer a voucher and move on. Not being street homeless does not necessarily mean she isn't at risk, but it means she isn't eligible for the survey this year.
A 59-year-old woman who has been homeless since at least 2016 is later identified on a bench. "She ticked off all the boxes of 'where have you slept; outside, in stations, in cafes, in libraries, in hospitals?'" Ella Johnson, senior manager at Solace's Westminster Service Housing First, said. "She is really transient in the way she is sleeping rough and doesn't seem like she is accessing support from anybody at the minute."
Outside the station, a different moment of contact, a young woman begging, again underscores the range of risks for women. The team continues to collect data and provide targeted outreach where possible.
Kathryn Parsons, public affairs and partnerships manager for Solace, said the women they spoke with during the count are experiencing violence both as a cause and a consequence of their rough sleeping. "We've spoken to a woman today who is heavily pregnant and not being supported for her pregnancy or for her mental health or for her housing," she said. "We've also spoken to women who have now been given some accommodation but prior to that they had been rough-sleeping for 10 years and they weren't seen by the government."
"Other than the near-universal experience of violence that women experience, women's rough sleeping is transient, it's hidden, it's intermittent. Their experiences are fundamentally different from men's," Parsons added. "The government wants to turn the tide on homelessness, the government wants to halve VAWG (violence against women and girls). Neither of those things will be achieved if they don't recognise that women's experience is different to men, and they support the women that are on the streets or hiding because it's too dangerous."
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: "The Women's Census helps us understand the challenges women face when getting the right support. "We're spending £1bn on vital services so that women who are sleeping rough can get safe and appropriate help. This is a first step to get us back on track towards ending homelessness once and for all.""
The 2025 Women Rough Sleeping Census started on Monday and continues until Sunday. If you've been affected by some of the issues raised in this article please visit BBC Action Line for advice and support.
