‘Shocking’ Number Of Homeless Women Sent To Prison

Over 3,000 women were recorded as being effectively homeless on arrival in custody at any one of the nine prisons for female offenders in England and Wales last year – with many likely to return to homelessness on release. Ministry of Justice stats put to Parliament show the number of women recorded as of “no fixed abode” when they entered prison women has now nearly doubled since 2015. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/shocking-number-of-homeless-women-sent-to-prison/

Lone Women Parents Most Likely To Suffer ‘Hidden Homelessness’

Growing numbers of women in England are experiencing ‘hidden homelessness’ – living in precarious arrangements without privacy or their own legal living space – according to new research. Women’s homelessness is a major social problem in the UK, with the latest figures revealing that from 1998 – 2015, 1,475,150 households were registered as homeless in England. Approximately 995,360 of these households were homeless families (as opposed to single occupant households) and/or had a pregnant woman living in them. Of these homeless families, some 65% are said to be lone women parents, amounting to approximately 647,000 lone women parents and their children. Read more on 24housing.

Homeless Women Turned Away

Local councils struggling to meet the demand for emergency housing are turning away vulnerable homeless women, including domestic violence victims and those with mental health issues as well as those fleeing domestic abuse, an investigation has found. Across several local authorities in England and Wales women found themselves turned away without being properly assessed or being able to make a homeless application despite qualifying for emergency accommodation under government guidelines.  An experiment by Channel 4’s Dispatches found that out of 15 approaches made by women with priority needs, only four were successful.  Read more on the Independent website.

Charity Launches Campaign for Homeless Women

Homelessness charity St Mungo’s has launched a campaign - Rebuilding Shattered Lives - to raise awareness of the issues faced by homeless women. The charity says more than one in 10 people contacted sleeping rough in London are women and half of those living in temporary accommodation are women. A 2012 survey of St Mungo’s female clients found:

    *34 per cent that have slept rough say domestic violence directly led to their homelessness

    *45 per cent are mothers, many of whom have lost their children and are struggling to cope with limited contact

    *66 per cent have a mental health problem

    *55 per cent have a substance use need (drugs and/or alcohol).

Read more on the St Mungo’s website.