Charities warn that official homelessness figures significantly undercount rough sleeping women in England

Two UK charities—Solace Women's Aid and the Single Homeless Project—conducted a census that found approximately 1,406 women had slept rough in the previous three months across surveyed areas, compared to the government's official count of 733 women on a single night in autumn 2025. The charities worked with 101 local authorities (roughly a third of England) and discovered women in unexpected locations including parks, night buses and trains, hospital A&E departments, and transport stations—places not typically included in official counts. The research found that in six local authority areas, the official government data recorded zero female rough sleepers, while the charities' census identified 162. The charities attribute the undercounting to their broader methodology, which captures women over a three-month period rather than a single night, and to the fact that women experiencing homelessness are often less visible than male rough sleepers. According to the charities, two-thirds of the women in their census would not have been captured by the government's counting method. The findings highlight a systemic gap in support services, as women who are not officially counted cannot easily access accommodation and assistance.