RESEARCH DIGEST NO.3 WOMEN AND HOMELESSNESS:EPOCH PRACTICE

European homelessness is broadly associated with poverty and this means that while homelessness can in theory happen to almost any woman, it is much more likely to happen to a woman experiencing poverty. Women who have multiple and complex needs, including experience of trauma in childhood and as an adult, are also more likely to lack access to financial resources and to familial and social support and may be at heightened risk of homelessness. Gender based violence and domestic abuse are a widespread and very significant cause of women’s homelessness in Europe. The cause is of women’s homelessness is often distinct from that of lone men, because women are much more likely to become homeless because of violence and abuse. Women are also more likely to face ongoing risks of abuse and violence during their experiences of homelessness than men.