The most recent census was conducted in September 2024. Survey responses were received from all 33 London Boroughs and a further 55 local authorities across England. In addition, 37 local authorities completed an additional census ‘local insights’ meeting. You can read the full report below. or watch the National Report Launch event.

Its findings are stark – more than 10 times as many women are sleeping rough in England than Government data suggests. That’s why Solace and SHP wrote to Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State Angela Rayner, in addition to Minister for VAWG Jess Phillips and Minister for Rough Sleeping Rushanara Ali MP calling for the policy recommendations to be reviewed. Over fifty representatives from housing and homelessness, domestic abuse, drug and alcohol, health, and LGBTQI+ sectors also their signature to this letter.

The September 2023 in London and in 14 local authorities across England. Read our 2023 census reports below, including the 2023 Women’s Rough Sleeping Census national report authored by Change Grow Live researchers and the census team, and the London 2023 census report.

The first census was completed in October 2022. The resulting report by researchers Praxis Collab was published in March 2023 and sets out key findings and learnings from this first-of-its-kind census. 

https://www.solacewomensaid.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Making-Women-Count.pdf

The census was first designed by Single Homeless Project, The Women’s Development Unit (Solace Women’s Aid and The Connection at St Martin’s) and St Mungo’s, with support from London Councils and the GLA. Thank you to Praxis Collab for their research expertise and support in designing the first census and authoring the report.

The 2025 census has now closed, but if you are interested in seeing previous resources you can find guidance for organisers, outreach teams and services for either London or National areas below. This includes for the local insights meeting.

London borough guidance – here
National local authority guidance – here

This section will be updated in Summer of 2026 for the September 2026 census.

Insight Meetings – October 2025
This session was recorded 6th October 2025 and is for all participating services and charities who wish to be involved in the insight meetings.

Organiser Information Session – this session was recorded in July 2025 and is for organisers who are leading on an area taking part in the census or wish to know for future census’.

Services information session – this session was recorded in July 2025and is for services who sometimes work with women experiencing homelessness (but don’t usually deliver outreach).

Outreach information session – this session was recorded in July 2025 and is for teams who deliver outreach shifts.

Other resources

Local organisers should contact womens.census@solacewomensaid.org to ensure you have access to all of the latest resources.

The census is designed for the participation of a wide range of services and sectors. Your service might be a VAWG, health, drug and alcohol, migrant support service or a community group, or another type of support provider: if you work with women who experience homelessness, your service could be involved in or even lead the census in your area. If you would like more information, please contact us.

Every borough has an amazing set of services who can come together to deliver an impactful census response. Can you spread the word with local services? If so, please feel free to share the information sheet and resources on this website and reach out to your local organiser if you can offer support.

Your support in sharing information and encouraging teams and services to get involved can help to make sure that every borough can fully participate and become informed about the women sleeping rough in their area, and that women reaching a range of services can be included.

Women who are rough sleeping need support from lots of different services – it may be that someone reaches a health service or migrant support service before they reach a homelessness service. We want to make sure women are included in the census, whichever support they reach first.

If you can help us by sharing census information with different services in your sector, or recommend meetings or networks we should attend and share information with, or help us to make sure the census is relevant to your sector, please get in touch.

If you’d like to know more, get in touch with us at womens.census@solacewomensaid.org. 

Volunteers play a vital role in helping to deliver the Women’s Rough Sleeping Census and we are asking for volunteers to support delivery of the census in London.

We are asking for volunteers who work or have worked within the homelessness or related sectors, or who might have lived experience of homelessness. This is so that we can be confident that women taking part in the census are approached by people who have understanding and sensitivity about their experiences.

Volunteers will be needed during census week, and will be asked to help conduct surveys with women who have experienced rough sleeping. You may be asked to accompany professional outreach workers on their shifts, or to attend a day centre or another location in a borough.

We primarily ask for women volunteers so we can make sure there is always a woman present when someone is asked to do the survey, to make sure they feel as comfortable as possible. However, if you don’t identify as a woman and would like to be involved, please get in touch: we will do our best to arrange a volunteer placement for everyone who registers their interest.

We are grateful to all volunteers for your time – email womens.census@solacewomensaid.org to volunteer or register interest for 2026