WUNRN
WOMEN &
HOMELESSNESS - UK
Maria, 25, walks through the subway at
Elephant & Castle in
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why
is this campaign focusing on women?
St Mungo’s has known for a long time
that men and women respond differently to the threat of homelessness, and differently
too when it becomes a reality. It has struck us as questionable, therefore,
that we seem to treat them the same when it comes to offering them support, and
helping them on the path to recovery. Whether it be from the perspective of
health, work or family, homeless women have specific needs which we as a sector
do not seem particularly good at meeting. Furthermore, research shows that
homeless women have both more complex and more severe needs than homeless men. Together, this leads to a disproportionate
financial burden on all Government departments as well as frontline agencies.
Generations of people are being caught in this cycle; consistently relying on
statutory services, parked in the criminal justice system and putting even more
pressure on the NHS and the welfare system.
What is the scale
of the problem?
Currently, one in ten rough sleepers in
London are women and over half of those living in temporary accommodation are
women. In addition, many homeless women are ‘hidden’ – trapped in abusive
relationships, living in crack-houses or squats, or sofa-surfing with friends
and family. Women currently make up a quarter of St Mungo’s clients. We know
that women can become homeless for a number of different reasons, such as
relationship breakdown, bereavement and as a result of a range of traumatic
experiences such as domestic violence, time spent in custody, or having their
children taken into care. We also know
that our female clients arrive at our services with a wide range of significant
and complex needs, for example:
- 66 per cent have a
mental health problem
- 55 per cent have a
substance misuse problem, either drugs and/or alcohol
- More than one
in ten have a history of being in care
- 54 per cent of those who
have slept rough have been involved in prostitution.
We also know that 45 per cent of St Mungo’s female
clients are mothers. Despite these needs, women are not always well served by
existing homelessness provision as much of this has traditionally been designed
for men. We want to see this change. Within St Mungo’s we have been doing some
work to improve our responsiveness and relevance, but we know we do not have
all the answers. We want to harness the insights and experience of others, from
a range of sectors, in order to build up a body of good practice about what
really works for women who become, or are at risk of becoming, homeless. It is
important that we are all willing to learn from each other – and, crucially,
from women who have direct experience of homelessness. This Rebuilding
Shattered Lives campaign will, we hope, distil these lessons and energise
policy and practice.
Why now?
Homelessness, including female homelessness, is on
the rise. Government figures released in Spring 2012 show a 23 per cent
increase in rough sleepers and a 14 per cent increase in households accepted as
homeless. Despite this, there has also been a reduction in the national supply of all types of
supported accommodation. Although many women successfully recover from
homelessness in services that engage with both men and women, in many cases
women-specific services may be more appropriate. Yet between 2011 and 2012
there was a 40 per cent drop in the proportion of homelessness services
specifically targeted at women. As the number of homeless women increases and
services are cut, it is vital that we raise awareness of the issues, share
existing good practice and drive innovation.
___________________________________________________