Nahar Choudhury, chief executive of Solace, said: “This is a positive step towards fulfilling government commitments to end rough sleeping and halve violence against women and girls.
“We welcome the government’s recognition that women’s experiences of rough sleeping are fundamentally different from men’s and that women are under-represented in official statistics. This guidance highlights the need for local authorities to respond in a way that reflects women’s reality.
“Violence against women and girls is a cause and consequence of having nowhere safe to stay. Encouraging the use of women-only accommodation, alongside trauma-informed support, ensures survivors of violence and abuse are not subjected to further harm.”