Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Housing

St Mungo's builds strategy for homeless women on International Women's Day

Homelessness services are often designed for men and leave women without adequate support, the charity said

woman city

Homelessness charity St Mungo’s is creating more women-only shelter spaces and improving its services for female domestic abuse victims.

On International Women’s Day, the charity is launching its three-year women’s strategy – which will see staff work to improve their own services as well as campaigning to influence policy and protect funding for specialist services, such as that which support women recovering from sexual violence.

The latest figures from St Mungo’s show that 642 women sleep rough on any one night in England.

The Rebuilding Shattered Lives report, published five years ago, showed there was a lack of research and understanding of contributing factors to women’s homelessness, resulting in lacklustre support for vulnerable women. It concluded that services are often designed for men exclusively.

Catherine Glew, women’s strategy manager at St Mungo’s, said: “With this new strategy, we aim to create an environment of physical and psychological safety for our female clients, who face disproportionate risk of harm from people they love and trust as well as the dangers of homelessness.

“We will continue to speak out about the link between gender, violence and homelessness, to make sure women are not forgotten or left behind by government policy.”

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

Homeless women in the UK have experienced physical, sexual, emotional and economic abuse at a high rate – it can be both a cause and a consequence of homelessness. Nearly half of St Mungo’s women residents are survivors of domestic abuse from a partner or family member.

Many homeless women may be missed by official counts too, because of the number forced to seek shelter with abusive partners or staying with friends and family temporarily.

Glew added: “Our clients cannot wait for government to make women’s homelessness a priority. We choose to prioritise women’s safety.”

Words: Anna Whealing

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

How many kids, Keir?

Ask the PM to tell us how many kids he'll get out of poverty
Image of two parents holding two small children, facing away from the camera

Recommended for you

View all
Why homelessness is rising in Finland – and what Britain can learn
Homelessness

Why homelessness is rising in Finland – and what Britain can learn

Renters' Rights Bill set to become law – more than 2,300 days since Tories promised evictions reform
Renters could face a further wait to see no-fault evictions scrapped through Renters Reform Bill
Renting

Renters' Rights Bill set to become law – more than 2,300 days since Tories promised evictions reform

Homelessness minister 'shocked' at number of children in temporary accommodation and B&Bs
homelessness minister Alison McGovern
Homelessness

Homelessness minister 'shocked' at number of children in temporary accommodation and B&Bs

Housing First promised to be a silver bullet to solve homelessness. Why are we still waiting?  
Housing First

Housing First promised to be a silver bullet to solve homelessness. Why are we still waiting?  

Reader-supported journalism that doesn’t just report problems, it helps solve them.

Every day, Big Issue digs deeper – speaking up for those society overlooks. Will you help us keep doing this work?