Janine Wiedel / Alamy
‘ I feel like I regularly have to tell my story over and over again, but nothing changes.’
CENSUS RESPONDENT
nearly 100 pages yet devoting just two paragraphs to women.‘ That’ s not oversight, that’ s systemic neglect. The new homelessness strategy must respond to women’ s experiences specifically, and we also need the government’ s imminent VAWG strategy to address the linked experiences of homelessness and violence and abuse that women face, and set out a commitment to ensuring women can access safe and secure housing when they need it.’
So are services still being shaped entirely around men’ s experiences, or is there any sense that things are starting to change?‘ There are glimmers of progress,’ she says.‘ Since 2022, over 2,000 women across England have shared their experiences through the census, and more councils are beginning to see that women’ s homelessness looks different. Local authorities that have taken part in the census have used their data to change local practices and policies, and commission and fund
new women’ s services. But the change is uneven and not yet embedded nationally.’
ACTIONABLE COMMITMENT With thousands of women still‘ unseen, unheard and unprotected’ what’ s needed is a fundamental system redesign, she states.‘ That’ s why our report calls for a dedicated chapter on women’ s homelessness in the government’ s forthcoming crossdepartmental strategy, with clear, actionable commitments to responding to women’ s homelessness specifically.’
While there is finally some‘ growing recognition’ that this is something that can’ t be ignored – with the census’ recommendations highlighted in a recent APPG for Ending Homelessness report – good intentions aren’ t enough, she states. As many people pointed out at the time, the‘ Everyone In’ scheme to house people sleeping rough during COVID proved what can be achieved when the political will is there.
‘ Now, we need that urgency for women,’ she says.‘ A national strategy that recognises women’ s homelessness in its own right isn’ t optional, it’ s essential. If government steps up, we can stop women falling through the cracks and finally deliver the safe housing and support they deserve.’ DDN www. shp. org. uk www. solacewomensaid. org / womens-rough-sleeping-census
A LENS FOR WOMEN
For far too long women’ s treatment has often been viewed as an‘ add-on’. That’ s why the Women’ s Treatment Working Group has developed its new‘ Womanifesto’ to help develop a genuine woman’ s lens for the entire sector
Women’ s experiences with substance use are substantially different from men’ s. They tend to have higher rates of childhood trauma, are far more likely to have suffered interpersonal violence and are six times more likely than men to have their children removed because of substance use. And yet, while women make up more than 50 per cent of the population, they represent just 33 per cent of service users.
In response, the Women’ s Treatment Working Group has developed a list of recomm en dations for OHID, including making women-only spaces and services a mandatory requirement for all treatment providers, dramatically improved responses for mothers – including those without children in their care – and genuinely co-designed pathways and partnerships.
WOMEN-ONLY SPACES AND SERVICES Women’ s histories of trauma and male violence mean that single-sex environments are not an optional extra – they’ re essential for women’ s physical and psychological safety. For this reason there need to be womenonly groups and drop-ins and female key workers as a default, says the group. Timely access to women-only residential services is also crucial, along with policies addressing domestic abuse, menopause and pregnancy. Minimum standards for women’ s services need to be developed, with compliance a commissioning requirement.
Fear of losing their children is a significant deterrent to women seeking help, which is why the group is calling for specialist support for women at risk of child removal along with trauma-informed, collaborative safeguarding practices – these should be transparent, consistent and collaborative, the document states.
CO-DESIGNED PATHWAYS The myriad barriers facing women need tailored responses, and generic tweaks to the system are no longer enough. What’ s needed is a full redesign, the report stresses – one that encompasses flexible, trauma-informed access, effective childcare provision, and the co-designing of services with women. Services also need to develop robust partnerships with women’ s centres, sexual health services and domestic abuse and sexual violence( DASV) services, it adds.
‘ The Women’ s Treatment Working Group is calling on OHID to co-produce a gender-responsive treatment system that reflects the realities of women’ s lives,’ states the Womanifesto.‘ Through dedicated spaces, support for mothers, and co-designed pathways, we can build a system that is safe, inclusive, and effective for all women.’ DDN
Women’ s Treatment Working Group: a womanifesto available at www. collectivevoice. org. uk / ourwork / forums / womens-treatmentworking-group /
16 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • FEBRUARY 2023 WWW. DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS. COM