Nahar Choudhury, CEO of Solace, said: “We welcome the government’s recognition of the unique barriers that women who are experiencing rough sleeping face, including the high prevalence of violence and abuse these women experience, both as a cause and a consequence of their homelessness. The strategy’s recognition that women are too often undercounted in government statistics, as outlined in our annual Women’s Rough Sleeping Census, is also positive.
“Given women’s historical and systemic lack of support, however, Government action must go beyond toolkits or updating existing statutory guidance we currently see local authorities fail to follow. The risk of sexual violence and domestic abuse women sleeping rough face must be met with action: specific, tailored provision and funding, details of which this strategy lacks.”
Two-thirds of the women Solace support have a housing need, so we know it was crucial that this strategy recognised the needs and risks of violence and abuse that women face and that their experiences of rough sleeping and homelessness are fundamentally different from their male counterparts. Previous strategies and homeless policies failed to sufficiently support women, leaving a significant percentage of the rough sleeping population overlooked and underserved.
The removal of the need to be verified or ‘bedded down’ is a critical step for women our 2024 Women’s Rough Sleeping Census identified more than ten times the number of women are sleeping rough than government statistics, with more than 35% of these women hiding in locations missed by outreach teams.
For survivors of domestic abuse, the focus on prevention and improving the response of councils to housing applications is welcomed. Many survivors will also benefit from attempts to ensure children spend no longer than six weeks in B&Bs and further steps to address the quality of temporary of accommodation are much needed. Both quality and safety need to be considered, however, with our new housing research finding that 50% of survivors felt unsafe in temporary accommodation. Survivors of violence and abuse continue to be placed in mixed sex temporary accommodation which puts them at further risk.
The continued freeze of housing benefit will also have a significant impact on survivors – with limited social housing available, many must rely on the private rental sector. The freeze means fewer properties will be affordable for survivors as rental prices continue to rise.
The investment into Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant is welcomed, but more steps are needed to ensure wider funding for rough sleeping and homelessness address the acute needs of women. For too long, funding has focused on universal or male-focused services, leaving women on the streets at risk of violence and abuse.
Within this national plan, we see shoots of progress, but we await the upcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy to see the step change needed for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence to access safe and affordable housing.