Kathryn Parsons, Public Affairs and Policy Manager “We welcome the government’s continued commitment to ending rough sleeping and, following this week’s Rough Sleeping Summit at Number 10, we are working together towards this goal.
“Offering everybody sleeping rough a route off the street is one thing, but making sure that offer is safe and suitable for women is another. Domestic abuse is the leading cause of women’s homelessness and they are often exposed to further violence as a result. Ensuring women can access safe, women only accommodation this Christmas – and beyond – is imperative.
“We also need to make sure we are identifying women sleeping rough in the first place: our Women’s Rough Sleeping Census found 45% of women were staying in places official counts miss, such as cars, graveyards and bus stops. Women-only spaces and accommodation are essential.”