Women’s Rough Sleeping Census

LAT led on bringing the Women’s Rough Sleeping Census to Lincolnshire in September 2025. Supported by 117 professionals from Lincolnshire charities and the statutory sector. The aim is to expose the breadth of women’s rough sleeping across Lincolnshire and provide an opportunity for their voices to be heard.

Our role in the census has been to bring together the professionals who know the women and can identify where the system could be changed to prevent the harms that we know rough sleeping and homelessness can cause. A safe space to sleep is foundational to supporting women from recovering from trauma and disadvantage. Lack of that space leads to escalating crisis management and increasing harm. The 123 women identified during the census and insights meetings exemplified this.
Conducting the census annually will support Lincolnshire to challenge and change the systems that drive disadvantage. What we have discovered through this process is that the people that make up the systems are up for the change. Clear leadership and commitment to flex where there is no clear solution is the key to making the difference and in times of limited resources, we need as much flexibility and creativity as the sector can create.

Thank you to all of those who participated. We look forward to the census in September 2026 to see what more we can learn about women experiencing homelessness in Lincolnshire and hopefully start to measure a reduction in the number that we are counting.