Make Women Count
Women are being missed. We know how to change that.
Women experiencing rough sleeping often stay out of sight to stay safe.
They may spend the night on buses, in A&E waiting rooms or other public spaces. Some walk through the night or stay with strangers rather than bed down visibly on the street because of the risk of violence and abuse.
But traditional approaches to counting rough sleeping don’t always capture these experiences.
This is a problem, because when women aren’t represented in the data, their experiences can be overlooked in the policies, funding and services designed to end rough sleeping. It means that most approaches are designed for men.
The Women’s Rough Sleeping Census is changing that.
Since 2022, the Census has used a gender-informed approach to build a better understanding of the nature, scale and complexity of women’s rough sleeping – showing where women are being missed and what needs to change to better support them. Four years of data has shown us where women are being missed and what needs to change to better support them.
Now we need to take it national.
Through #MakeWomenCount, Single Homeless Project and Solace, backed by more than 60 organisations, are calling on Government to fund and roll out the Women’s Rough Sleeping Census across England from 2027.
More than 10x as many women are sleeping rough than the Government officially counted 
Nearly 2/3 of women surveyed had slept or stayed in places excluded from official rough sleeping counts The Census works. Now it needs national backing.
What began as a London pilot in 2022 has grown into a national effort involving local authorities and hundreds of homelessness, women’s, health and community organisations across England. The Census has now collected more than 3,300 survey responses from women experiencing rough sleeping.
But participation is still voluntary and local areas currently receive no dedicated funding to take part.
As a woman, I was often afraid to sleep, so I wouldn’t sleep at all, especially at night. I need to be aware of my surroundings for my safety.
Despite this, the Census is already changing how women’s rough sleeping is understood – and how local areas respond.
Findings have informed new women’s accommodation, gender-informed outreach and changes to local strategies to better identify and support women experiencing rough sleeping.
How the Census made a difference in Camden
Camden Council Cabinet Member for Better Homes and Homelessness Prevention, Cllr Anna Wright, said:
“In Camden, we recognise that women experiencing homelessness are too often unseen, despite facing some of the most complex challenges. Participating in the Women’s Rough Sleeping Census since it began has helped us to better understand those challenges, to identify more women who are experiencing homelessness and to tailor the support we provide to them.
“It has also helped us to strengthen the specialist support we are providing for women through our Housing First service and dedicated women’s outreach, while also increasing the spaces we have available for women only in our accommodation services. As a result, more women in Camden are able to access the tailored, trauma-informed support they need to move away from homelessness and into safe and stable accommodation.”
The Census works. Now it needs national backing.
Our central call is simple:
- Fund and roll out the Women’s Rough Sleeping Census across England from 2027, with the resources and guidance every local authority needs to meaningfully participate.
A national Census would give us a better picture of women’s rough sleeping across England. It would help Government and local areas make better-informed decisions about policy, funding and services – and give councils the evidence they need to design responses that work for women.
Government has committed to ending rough sleeping for everyone. To do that, it needs to understand everyone experiencing it.
You can’t reach everyone if you don’t know who everyone is.
Counting women is only the first step:
The Census has shown us that identifying women is only part of the challenge. Women also need homelessness services and accommodation that are safe, accessible and designed around their experiences.
In the most recent Census, 45% of women surveyed had been in some form of homelessness accommodation immediately before sleeping rough, while 38% weren’t receiving support from either a housing officer or homelessness organisation.
That’s why, alongside national rollout of the Census, we’re calling for wider changes to make sure women are not only counted, but properly supported:
- Amend the definition of rough sleeping to reflect women’s experiences.
- Provide gender-informed guidance and funding to ensure supported and temporary accommodation is equitable, accessible, and safe for women.
- Expand priority need for housing support to all survivors of rape, sexual assault and sexual exploitation.
- Undertake research to better understand and respond to women’s hidden homelessness.
Help us #MakeWomenCount
Women have been missing from the picture for too long.
We have a proven approach that can help change that. Now we need Government to take it national.
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