Female-only support for homeless is a 'life-saver'

A cup of tea, a shower and a friendly chat in a safe space might sound like basics, but for vulnerable women living on the streets they are "life-savers".

Every Friday morning, Light Project Peterborough (LLP) opens The Garden House, its respite centre for female rough sleepers, where they can find help with issues such as healthcare and housing.

The charity for the homeless says it has seen a rise in women seeking help, with about 20% of people they support being female.

The centre says women can feel "intimidated" by the number of men present at other sessions and may choose to stay away.

Jo, 50, a former rough sleeper, describes the women-only sessions as "amazing", adding that for "vulnerable women like me they are nice and quiet. You feel instantly comfortable."

Jo had become homeless after fleeing domestic violence. She was placed in a hostel but the arrangement did not work and she ended up living on the streets for more than a year - sometimes sleeping in her car.

"It was brutal and scary, especially at night-time," Jo recalls.

"People can be nasty to homeless people. I did get grabbed once. You have no-one to help you and people take advantage.

"You feel more vulnerable [as a woman]. You certainly feel very alone."

Jo has been receiving help from The Garden House for more than a year, and describes its support and sessions as a "life-saver".

"They helped me get to where I am now," she adds.

The Garden House launched the sessions in November, which are run by female volunteers and are self-funded by the charity.

Attendees can receive healthcare and housing support, shower and have a warm drink and breakfast.

Previously a LLP spokesperson said women, especially those fleeing abuse, may not feel safe coming into a male-dominant space.

The charity hopes the sessions will allow women to "seek help without fear".

Jessica Marsden, an outreach nurse at Boroughbury Medical Centre, volunteers at the sessions to offer health checks and signpost the women to further support.

She says some women they engage with are "very ill" and need "critical care".

"Some people haven't had cervical screening for many years and if they are then found to have cancer it's usually too far and they need care at secondary level," she says.

"There [are] a lot of people sadly that are really not well, they're six stone [in weight], they have lost their hair, they're not eating, they're only getting food when they can," she adds.

On a single night in autumn 2024 there were 4,667 people sleeping rough in England - a near-record high and the third annual rise in a row, according to official statistics.

Peterborough City Council says it was contacted by 3,654 households facing homelessness in 2024, which was an 11% rise on the previous year.

LLP says about 17-20% of people they support are women, but it believes the proportion of people sleeping rough who are women could be much higher.

Theresa Geraldi, a project manager at the charity, says: "It's difficult to get ladies to engage. So it's a really important session that we offer.

"Maybe they want to come and have a shower or read a book or just curl up for a few hours.

"We are getting a lot of the same ladies returning, which is great. And slowly, that will build up their engagement.

"There are definitely more ladies out there than what the statistics and the figures would show. It's about how we get them to engage and come forward."

Peterborough City Council says its multi-organisational outreach team carries out regular patrols to find and engage with the "hidden homeless women".

Shabina Qayyum, the authority's Labour's leader, says: "We know that women are particularly vulnerable when it comes to homelessness on our streets.

"Obviously there is always room for us to improve on services.

"We work with our partners to see if there's a gap in provision and how we can work towards it."

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