Last updated: 03 November 2022

Women's Homelessness - What's the difference?

Women experience homelessness in different ways to men. Triggers of homelessness as well as experiences while homeless are unique to each person, however a person's gender and relationship to their gender impacts on their experience. Women are less likely to be visibly homeless, for a variety of reasons, a significant reason being the need to manage their own safety. Women are more likely to experience homelessness between temporary accommodation, other precarious forms of accommodation and rough sleeping. Women are also less easily categorised as single and homeless, their relationship to motherhood affecting their experience of being homeless.

To consider the impact of gender is to adopt a 'gender informed' approach. The literature review 'Exploring Women's Homelessness' provides further details on what we know so far on women's homelessness and how it differs from men's.

All Women are Different

Women are not a homogenous group and it important to recognise how the experience of women of color, trans women, queer and disabled women among many others may be different from each other. In order to provide effective support to women, it is important to explore how their lives are impacted by forms of structural violence which shape their experiences of homelessness and their relationship to services.

Have a look at Homeless Link's other areas of expertise in diverse needs and consider how they intersect with gendered experiences of homelessness.

Blog:

Black women experiencing homelessness are invisible

Women in Relationships

Supporting women while they are in a relationship, particularly when you might consider it an unhealthy relationship can be a really complex task.

Standing Together and Single Homeless Project have developed a training on how to work effectively with survivors and perpetrators of domestic abuse in homelessness settings. The course outline is available below.

Training: Confidence in Complexity