Counting the 'invisible' homeless women hiding in plain sight

London — Health and housing officials are counting the 'invisible' rough sleepers: women who sleep outdoors or in public spaces and are rarely captured by official data. The Women’s Rough Sleeping Census, now in its third year, is designed to quantify the scale of female rough sleeping and to inform policy and funding decisions aimed at improving health and safety for women on the streets.

Teams from charities have been surveying public toilets, fast-food outlets, buses and other spaces to reach women who are often hidden from traditional counts. The effort began in 2022 after Solace Women's Aid and Single Homeless Project joined forces to design a method that gives voice to women's experiences of rough sleeping. Officials say government data has long undercounted women by a wide margin.

During early-morning checks near Victoria Station, the outreach team located three women using the station's toilets to wash clothes and interviewing others who were sleeping on benches. A £10 food voucher is offered to participants in exchange for filling in the census questionnaire, which asks where they have slept — outside, in stations, in cafes, in libraries or in hospitals. A 59-year-old woman who has been homeless since at least 2016 was identified for outreach after answering the questions, and she described her vulnerability.

Ella Johnson, senior manager at Solace's Westminster Service Housing First, said: 'She ticked off all the boxes of where she slept.' The team noted that many women disguise their gender for safety; the encounter with the 59-year-old underscored how transient and undocumented some cases can be. The outreach aims to connect the individual with services, not just collect data.

Outside the station, a young woman begging was encountered. She was not street homeless and thus not part of the census, but outreach workers paused to offer support and a voucher before moving on. The encounter illustrates how health and safety risks can exist even when someone is not technically unsheltered.

42-year-old Laura, who arrived in London three days earlier, agreed to participate after a brief interview in which she described her long period of rough sleeping. 'Eleven years married, three children. My husband started drinking, and then he divorced me,' she said. 'Car parks, old buildings, squats. I'm very vulnerable as a woman being out here, outdoors. It's very hard for a female to be outdoors. You get a lot of males approaching females offering sex.'

Kathryn Parsons, from Solace Women's Aid, said women's experiences of rough sleeping are 'fundamentally different from men's.' '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 added. '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.' Parsons emphasized that violence is both a cause and a consequence of rough sleeping for many women, a pattern that differs from male experiences. '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.'

"The government wants to turn the tide on homelessness, the government wants to halve 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.," Parsons said.

It is hoped that by building a clearer picture of the scale of the problem and the issues women are facing, women's charities can lobby the government for more support for them. 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 or someone you know has been affected by homelessness, local services and charities advise seeking outreach contacts through local authorities and the health system. The study is part of a broader effort to illuminate health risks linked to rough sleeping, including pregnancy, mental health needs and exposure to violence, and to ensure that policy makers allocate resources where they can most effectively reduce harm.

As officials and charities push for recognition of distinct women's experiences, the census may also influence how health services coordinate with housing providers to reach women who are hidden in plain sight. The government's commitment to ending homelessness hinges on addressing safety, health, and housing needs wherever women sleep.

Health and social services remain central to the ongoing effort, with advocates hoping that more precise data will translate into targeted health interventions, safer spaces, and timelier access to care for women who sleep rough. The public is reminded that BBC Action Line offers advice and support for those affected by homelessness and related issues.