Trust and Nottingham charity working to find the city’s hidden female rough sleepers
Work to uncover the true number of vulnerable women sleeping in hidden or unsafe places is taking place in Nottingham this week.
The Trust's Health Shop and local charity Framework, will be leading the local delivery of the national Women's Rough Sleeping Census from Monday 21 September to Sunday 27 September 2026.
Last year, 39 women were found sleeping rough in Nottingham and 40 in Nottinghamshire, a far greater number than reported in the autumn snapshot which identified just eight female rough sleepers in Nottingham.
The hidden nature of women's rough sleeping means that current data often fails to reflect the true extent of the problem, affecting how services are designed, commissioned and funded. A shortage of provision tailored to women's specific needs, such as trauma-informed support and safeguarding for those fleeing abuse, makes it much more challenging for women experiencing homelessness to secure a safe, permanent place to call home.
The Health Shop has worked in Nottingham City for more than 30 years to give advice and support about drug use and sexual health to people who may find it hard to use mainstream services including many who are homeless.
They are just one of the services in Nottingham that have come together to meet the wider needs of women facing homelessness. Staff from Framework, Nottingham Recovery Network (NRN), The Health Shop and NHS came together to form The Access Project, to ensure vulnerable women get help with substance use and access to healthcare.
One service user explained how she has been helped to come off drugs and access support.
"When they first found me and my partner, we were living in a tent. We had no support and our lives revolved around finding money for drugs which affected our mental health and relationship. Our tent got destroyed and we moved to the city addicted to heroin and dreading the thought of carrying everything we own in the rain knowing we'd need to make £5 shortly just to numb the pain.
"The team provided us with clothes and essentials, support and access to many other services. With their help, I found the right methadone dose, stopped using heroin so my treatment could work properly, and eventually became clean from crack heroin and all other drugs. I have since been housed, am close to the end of my methadone treatment and accessed talking therapy and wellbeing events, including a women's day which helped rebuild my confidence and mental health.
"Without the support, I would not have had the resources to quit heroin and the knowledge about drugs that I do now. It has completely changed my life around for the better."
Louise Wilkins, Team Leader, The Health Shop, said: "Across the partnership, we try to make access to services for hidden homeless women easier by going out to women directly; to where they live, sleep, work and hang out. A lot of this comes from building relationships and trust over time.
"We know that it can be really difficult for our women to attend mainstream services such as medical appointments during standard working hours. Equally travelling across the city alone may not be safe or is expensive for them. Instead, we are able to go out late at night to where they are to remove this barrier and improve access. This includes physical healthcare, prescribing and support with their mental health. Sometimes, it might even be taking out clothing as often the women we see have only the clothes they are wearing. They most likely won't have a mobile phone, so going out to find these women is absolutely vital so we can support their needs.
"We believe in harm reduction and helping people make safer choices. So during census week, we're not just counting the women we see and signposting them to support, we will be turning up with a whole car or van full of supplies including clothes, harm reduction items, food and contraception."
Another service user added: "The Health Shop has helped me while I was homeless with contraception outreach service and sterile injecting equipment. The Wellbeing Hub has continued to support me into recovery with my methadone prescription and my keyworker. I used to be wary and frightened about getting help and support into recovery but now I would never ever go back."
Women are under-represented in rough sleeping statistics and provision, despite being some of the most vulnerable within the rough sleeping population. Last year, The Women's Rough Sleeping Census led by Solace Women's Aid found as many as ten times more women sleeping rough in some areas than official government snapshot counts identified.
Nearly two thirds (65 percent) of women surveyed said they had slept in places excluded from official homelessness counts, including buses, A&E waiting rooms and public transport, or staying awake through the night to avoid violence, exploitation and sexual assault.
The census aims to improve support and provision for women who are rough sleeping and experiencing other forms of hidden homelessness, by working directly with service and outreach teams on gender-informed practice.
To find out more about the work of The Health Shop, go to https://www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/the-health-shop
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