Sixty per cent of all homeless adults living in temporary accommodation in England are women, despite only making up 51 per cent of the general population analysis by the housing charity Shelter has found.

The charity’s new report, Fobbed Off, used in-depth interviews with 34 women and one non-binary person with lived experience of homelessness and bad housing, alongside statistical evidence to expose the disproportionate impact of the housing emergency on women.

In the past decade, the number of homeless women living in temporary accommodation has almost doubled from 40,030 in 2011 to 75,410 today – a rise of 88 per cent. To uncover why so many women are being tipped into homelessness, Shelter commissioned YouGov polling, which revealed the dramatic impact of affordability issues:

• Of those with cost of housing issues, women are 36 per cent more likely than men to be in arrears or constantly struggling to afford their costs – this equates to 4.7 million women.
• Lone mothers face the most acute affordability issues with almost 1 in 3 in arrears or constantly struggling to keep a roof over their heads – this equates to 321,000 single mothers.
• 69 per cent of women who rent privately, worry they would not be able to afford anywhere decent to live if their relationship broke down – this equates to 2.7 million women.

Shelter also collaborated with a team of peer researchers, with direct experience of homelessness and poor housing, to carry out an investigation into the biggest barriers women face in finding a safe and secure home.

Common causes

Using their own lived experience to build trust and provide insight, Shelter’s peer researchers interviewed 34 women and one non-binary person living in Birmingham, Bristol and Sheffield who were either homeless or living in poor housing at the time. Key findings revealed:

 Domestic abuse is the third most common cause of homelessness. A third of interviewees had experienced domestic abuse, which often triggered their housing problems.

• Single mothers are hit hardest – 1 in 38 lone mothers are homeless in England right now. Interviewees said they faced additional barriers to accessing support, with some disclosing that they did not seek help for fear their children could be removed from them.
• Rising private rents and a lack of affordable social homes are a major issue. Almost three quarters of interviewees were struggling to afford their housing costs. Several said their housing benefit didn’t cover the rent, others had to borrow money from family or friends.
• Women are more likely to claim housing benefit and be harmed by welfare squeezes. Two fifths reported housing benefit problems, including discriminatory behaviour from landlords, and welfare restrictions like the Benefit Cap meaning they could not afford a suitable home.
• A common barrier was being treated poorly by professionals. Two thirds said professionals made them feel like a burden or re-victimised them, one woman described feeling “fobbed off”. Over half said they did not know where to get help or how to navigate a maze of services.

Escalating crisis

Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Shelter, said: “Women are bearing the brunt of our escalating housing crisis, and they are being failed at every turn. No mother should have to choose between buying food or paying her rent. No woman should have to stay with her abuser or face the streets.

“The hike in living costs and cuts to Universal Credit mean it’s only going to get tougher for thousands of women barely hanging on to their homes. It’s appalling women are being fobbed off by professionals who are supposed to help them, and it’s no wonder they feel scared and alone. If we’re going to turn back the tide on women’s homelessness, we need to listen to women and better understand their needs.”

A spokesperson at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said:

“Tackling homelessness is a Government priority – that’s why we are spending £316m on this in the next year to build on the success of the Homelessness Reduction Act, which has prevented 400,000 households from becoming homeless or supported them to settled accommodation. We are continuing to work with councils and charities to meet our target of ending rough sleeping by the end of this parliament.

“These figures reflect the increase in support for vulnerable groups which is preventing thousands of women from becoming homeless. However, we’re clear that temporary accommodation should only be a last resort.

By Patrick Mooney, Editor