Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether women recorded as staying in women-only shelters are counted towards the total homelessness figure for England.

Tackling homelessness and rough sleeping in all its forms is a key priority for this Government and we have taken unprecedented steps this year, working with local authorities and their partners to protect vulnerable rough sleepers during the pandemic. The ‘Everyone In’ campaign has supported over 37,000 people with over 11,000 in emergency accommodation and over 26,000 already moved on into longer-term accommodation.

We do not have a breakdown of the number of women recorded as staying in women-only shelters within the homelessness case level collection (H-CLIC) data in England.

At the Budget the Chancellor announced £4.2 million for MHCLG to trial ‘Respite Rooms’ across the country. The Respite Rooms programme will provide support to vulnerable homeless women affected by violence and abuse who need specialist support to enable them to better engage with, and be ready for, domestic abuse safe accommodation including refuge.