Female sex workers

This page examines good practice in accommodating and supporting homeless women who work on the streets as prostitutes. Accommodation is an essential first step to addressing their social problems.

About the review

This review arose following discussions with a sex-work project in Leeds which identified a gap in appropriate accommodation for female street-based sex workers in the city. Subsequent communication with the UK Network of Sex Work Projects established this as a significant problem affecting many other areas of the country. In March 2004, interviews were conducted with managers and staff from four projects within three agencies. The interviews sought to find out:

• who the projects work with
• what type of work is being done
• how project success is measured
• what lessons can be learned from the projects.

The resulting case studies provide examples of innovative practice that could be replicated in other parts of the country. This review looks at these projects in the context of recent policy developments and findings from a wider consultation with sex-work projects in England.

Review summary

Street-based sex workers currently form one of the most excluded and marginalised groups of homeless people. There is little specialist accommodation available to meet their needs, and service providers and funding bodies often fail to recognise the nature and scale of the problem in their area.

While many cities in the UK have recently targeted resources at homeless men who are sleeping rough, in the same cities homeless women are on the streets as sex workers, less visible, and less catered for. While society may see prostitution as these women’s biggest problem, the women themselves relate it to their homelessness, drug use, and lifestyles characterised by poverty, chaos, and desperate choices.

This review, by Shelter’s Street Homeless Project, looks at four innovative projects in Lambeth, Bristol, and Birmingham. It is supported by a wider consultation with sex-work projects in England.

The review highlights the need for a range of supported accommodation options for homeless female street-based sex workers. It shows how partnerships between specialist agencies and mainstream service providers can meet their complex needs. The featured projects directly target homeless female sex workers, providing stable environments where women can access intensive and comprehensive support to gain a home, address their drug use, and move towards leaving prostitution.

Key findings

The review found that:

• Specialist agencies are encountering unprecedented numbers of women who are homeless and engaged in street-based sex work; most agencies have regular contact with between 200 and 300 women in their areas
• Street prostitution is associated with drug addiction, multiple deprivation, social exclusion, poverty, and difficult family backgrounds
• There is a lack of appropriate temporary and permanent accommodation for street homeless women who continue to be involved in sex work, and for those women who are trying to exit prostitution
• There are very few tenancy support services for women with a history of street-based sex work, who have gained accommodation but are struggling to keep it
• Law enforcement of street-based sex work can make it more difficult for women to access projects to help them exit prostitution
• A welfare-based approach addresses issues such as homelessness and drug use, while helping women to move away from prostitution

• The consequences of street homelessness for female sex workers are dire. These women face serious health problems, early mortality, violence, rape, and mental illness.

Recommendations

The review recommends that:

• Local and central government must acknowledge that many women engaged in street-based prostitution are effectively sleeping on the streets
• A range of options, including supported and crisis accommodation, is required to meet the needs of homeless women working on the streets as prostitutes. 
• Initiatives aimed at reducing crime and antisocial behaviour associated with street-based prostitution must offer drug treatment in conjunction with appropriate housing.
• To better reflect the difficulty and complexity of work with this client group, outcomes monitoring for existing and future projects should be developed.
• Further research into the housing and support needs of street-based sex workers should aim for a thorough picture of the scale of the problem, the impact of projects, and potential solutions.

Further information

 Download Off the streets or purchase it from the online shop