Throughout March we are focusing on the lives of women that we work with at Simon on the Streets. We choose March to do this so that we can work to raise awareness alongside International Women’s Day. It was really important to us then, that we would have an awareness raising event on this day.
For any one of our clients, life on the streets is hard and full of complexities. There is no way of measuring a woman’s experience of homelessness against that of a man’s, and seeing who comes out worst off. Raising awareness around women’s homelessness, isn’t about comparing the experiences of the genders; it’s much more about education on the very specific issues that women face that are exacerbated when they are homeless. There is no hiding from the fact that women across the world are more commonly victims of domestic violence, and it is a significant driver to escape such violence that many women find themselves without a home. There are also biological factors around women’s health to do with their fertility and monthly cycles. Furthermore, the fact that women carry and bear children can often mean that their homelessness effects their children also. Women’s homelessness is also more often hidden. Some people claim that this is because women tend to be more resourceful. However much that may be the case, evidence, and our experience, suggests that women whose homelessness is hidden are often subject to violence and expected to pay their way for a bed for the night, often with sex. Prostitution among homeless women is common and driven by a need to survive. Research shows that women who are homeless tend to experience more extreme levels of addiction and have higher likelihood of severe mental health issues. Services that are tailored specifically for this vulnerable minority are few and far between and very often the specific needs of homeless women need to be address within the restrictions of a service that is designed with a view to support homeless men.
The awareness raising event we held on International Women’s Day was a testament to the passion and motivation of a number of young women from across the city of Leeds. Motivated by contact with the charity, through talks or events they had attended, a collective formed from students from Leeds Beckett, Leeds College of Art and Leeds College of Music, helped us to bring together the campaign launch for #Simone.
For two hours on International Women’s Day, this group of young women took a stand in Leeds City Square, whilst a number of their male friends, who understand that these issues are for all people to grow their awareness of, worked with them to engage the passing public. On each of the 8 female statues in the square, an illustration and character study of a homeless woman were placed in order that the public could engage and understand the issues and experiences of homeless women. As well and a great response from the public, we were also incredibly grateful to receive the support of Councillor Bill Urray (Councillor for Homelessness and Causes of Homelessness) and the event was well attended of our very loyal supporters and new supporters too.
The work of the campaign doesn’t stop there. We will continue, throughout the month, to bring more information around women’s homelessness to light. We will also be heading into education environments to deliver the campaign as a ‘talk’ to young people, to help raise awareness and understanding of the root causes of homelessness in general.
A huge thank you to all involved in the event on the 8th March, with special thanks to Sam Toolsie for the photographs.