Rough sleeping is dangerous for everyone, but women on the streets face additional risks.

It is estimated that 1 in 4 women have been sexually assaulted whilst sleeping rough. The average age of death for a homeless woman is just 43 years old.

Too often, women’s homelessness is invisible. Many homeless women report being too scared to sleep on the streets at night, so some sleep in the daytime and are therefore missed by nightly outreach teams. This is part of the reason for our day time outreach service.

This is often because of how vulnerable woman can feel when sleeping rough and often leads to some staying in dangerous situations to avoid having to sleep rough on public streets.

Others choose to stay on a bus or the Underground all night to avoid staying still. Many women also avoid homelessness services that as they are typically viewed as male-dominatd spaces which can feel unsafe.

Only around 9% of homelessness accommodation services in England provide women-only provision. We are one of the few charities that offer women-only services, and we’re proud to be part of that minority.

Our Women-only space

Every Wednesday morning, our centre in Adelaide Street is opened only to those who identify as women. This provides a safe space for women who may not otherwise feel secure enough to use our services. Last year, we saw 164 women come to this space for support.

St. Martin’s House: A safe place for women

Our research has shown that one of the biggest barriers to supporting homeless women effectively is lack of safe shelter. This is particularly true for those who have complex needs. There are very few women-only specialist accommodation services for women in London.

We have responded to this by developing St. Martin’s House in partnership with the St Martin’s Trust. This exciting project has transformed our accommodation space into a safe space for women as part of our Housing First Approach.

While living there, residents are supported to prepare for a more independent and stable future. This can include access to therapy, employability training and more to make sure their next home is a permanent one.

New accommodation at Julia’s House

In November 2025, The Connection and St Martin’s Trust opened Julia’s House, a brand new specialist therapeutic accommodation service for women experiencing homelessness.

Julia’s House is the result of the 18 Keys project on the St Martin’s House site, and contains two new flats and a communal area for women to socialise, cook together and take part in groups and activities.

The Women’s Rough Sleeping Census

The Women’s Development Unit was instrumental in delivering the first women’s rough sleeping census in October 2022. The report, Making Women Count, was published in March 2023 and sets out the key findings of this pioneering approach.

The census found 154 women rough sleeping in London in a week. This indicates a higher number of women sleeping rough in London than previously believed.

It also emphasises that women’s rough sleeping is often transient, intermittent and hidden – which means that women are often not represented in official statistics and, crucially, are often precluded from accessing support and housing.

The report makes specific calls to action on the Government for system change in the way that women’s rough sleeping is recognised, counted and responded to:

You can find the full report here.

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