On the Rebuilding Shattered Lives report
This week I attended the launch event for St Mungo’s new report, Rebuilding Shattered Lives. The report has been developed with contributions from a wide range of agencies, including Revolving Doors, and focuses on homeless women and how we can provide more effective support for them.
The speakers brought home just how many difficulties homeless women face, and how much there is still to do.
Alexia Murphy, Director of New Business at St Mungo’s, highlighted key findings from the report in her speech, such as the complexity of need and the specific problems faced by homeless women. These problems include domestic violence (one third of female service users told St Mungo’s that domestic violence contributed to their homelessness), separation from their children through adoption and the care system, and the ongoing effects of trauma resulting from abuse in their own childhood–issues that were powerfully highlighted by a service user at St Mungo’s, who read a heartfelt poem which demonstrated the personal cost of homelessness.
Currently, 27% of St Mungo’s clients are women; however, the charity believes there are a lot of women who are ‘hidden homeless’, not counted in statistics, who may be sofa-surfing and may be very vulnerable. In addition to this, the proportion of female rough sleepers is rising. The report also highlights that many homelessness services are set up to cater for the needs of men, and gender-specific services do not always exist. Women have told St Mungo’s about the fear and vulnerability they face in mixed-sex hostels, for example.
Despite these challenges, it was heartening to see the commitment and tenacity of St Mungo’s in raising awareness of what can be done to help women who are homeless (or at risk of being homeless). It was also encouraging to see cross-party support for the report. Chuka Umana MP spoke movingly about growing up in Streatham, his constituency, and becoming aware of the issues faced by homeless women and in particular those involved in street-based sex work. He rightly noted that these women are part of our communities, and deserve our support; the report cites the example of the Street Talk service who provide psychological interventions for women involved in street-based sex work.
Norman Lamb MP focused on tackling violence against women and girls, reiterating the extent of domestic violence and its consequences. Luciana Berger MP discussed the need to put mental health on parity with physical health, and this is indeed vital; Rebuilding Shattered Lives reports that St Mungo’s female clients are more likely than men to experience anxiety, depression, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The different emphases of the speeches demonstrated the multiple needs and issues attached to women and homelessness, and that these needs must be addressed in a holistic and gender-specific way. Alexia Murphy mentioned the importance of effective partnership-working, women-only support services, perinatal support and practitioners who are ‘champions’ of this issue and promote good practice across professional boundaries.
I came away from the launch glad that some individual MPs were affirming their commitment to this issue. Undoubtedly what is now needed is an explicit and strong commitment from Government. St Mungo’s report outlines some key recommendations for national and local policy that will ensure women get the right help in the future. The report also means we know a lot more about the causes and consequences of women’s homelessness, and have no excuse not to act.
Read the report here.
