Women are some of the biggest losers in England’s broken housing system

6 in 10 homeless people living in temporary accommodation are women

Sixty per cent of all homeless adults living temporary accommodation in England today are women, despite only making up 51% of the general population, new analysis by Shelter shows.

The charity’s new report, Fobbed Off, uses 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%. To uncover why so many women are being tipped into homelessness, Shelter commissioned new YouGov polling, which shows the dramatic impact of affordability issues:

• Of those with housing costs, women are 36% more likely than men to be in arrears or constantly struggling to afford these 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 lone mothers.

• 69% of women who rent privately worry they wouldn’t be able to afford anywhere decent to live if their relationship broke down – this equates to 2.7 million women.

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

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.

• Lone 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 didn't know where to get help or how to navigate a maze of services.

One of the women interviewed was Toni, 38, from Birmingham, who is homeless following a relationship breakdown. She is currently living with her children in unsuitable temporary accommodation, which is mouldy, in disrepair and inaccessible for her disabled son. Toni is now being supported by Shelter to help her find a safer and more secure home for her family.

Toni said: “When you’re homeless you don’t even get spoken to like you’re human. Because you’re in temporary accommodation people make assumptions about you. It doesn’t make me feel great, I’m not homeless through any choice of my own. I put on a brave face for the kids, but we can’t live a life in a temporary flat forever. This will be our fourth Christmas spent homeless - every year I say we'll be gone by the next, but we’re still here. Temporary accommodation doesn't feel very temporary when it's been that long. I feel like we've been forgotten about.”

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. For the women who feel like there’s nowhere to turn, Shelter is here. Our emergency helpline is open 365 days a year so no one has to face homelessness alone.”

To donate to Shelter’s urgent winter appeal and give hope to women and families facing homelessness, please visit www.shelter.org.uk/donate. Just £10 could answer a call to Shelter’s national emergency helpline, enabling a trained adviser to give expert advice and support to help women and families keep or find a home.

ENDS