Author Archive

Prostitution

Prostitution

70% of women in street prostitution have a history of being in local authority care[1] 45% of women involved in prostitution report experiencing childhood sexual abuse. As many as 85% report physical abuse in the family[2] 68% of women in prostitution display symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder at a level seen in victims of torture […]


Substance Use

Substance Use

80% of homeless women experiencing alcohol dependency have slept rough, compared to 55% without an alcohol dependency[1] 90% of homeless women with drug dependency have slept rough compared to 47% without a drug dependency[2] 44% of homeless women who experienced drug dependency have squatted, compared to 12% without a drug dependency[3] 47% of all people […]


Women at St Mungo’s

Women at St Mungo's

24% of St Mungo’s clients are women[1] 11% have a history of being in care[2] 34% slept rough after leaving home to escape domestic abuse[3] 45% are mothers[4] 66% have a mental health problem[5] 55% have a substance use problem[6] 41% who have slept rough have been involved in prostitution[7] 28% have been in prison[8] […]


‘Where from? Where now?’ exhibition announced! 14-18 November.

'Where from? Where now?' exhibition announced! 14-18 November.

These last few months have been a whirlwind – editing the material from this project, alongside photofilm production and exhibition curation. And all of this will culminate in a multimedia exhibition at gallery@oxo on London’s South Bank from 14th-18th November this year. It is a public exhibition, open daily from 14th-18th November. More information will […]


Keep on standing

Keep on standing

You are one of the strongest women


Warding off evil/winter bugs

Warding off evil/winter bugs

I’d love to know the story behind these three cloves of garlic.  Is the person who put them there a believer that garlic fends off evil spirits, or were they embracing the health benefits to ward off bugs in this bitterly cold weather? I came across them on one of Southwark’s estates when out with […]


Afraid to be seen

As you will have read from previous posts, women aren’t often seen out on the streets. If they are sleeping rough, they tend to be hidden from view, and in many cases with a partner. Maria, 25, however did spend time sleeping rough where she was both visible and on her own. I have been […]


Starting the conversation

Last night I met a young girl, I don’t think she was more than early 20’s, sleeping out in Central London. I really wanted to know more about her story and find out what it was that led to her being out. So I went back today to see if she would be happy to […]


Off the streets at Christmas

Off the streets at Christmas

I have just got back in from an early shift with the St Mungo’s Southwark outreach team.  It was a quiet morning. Most rough sleepers have already been taken to the Crisis at Christmas centers where they can stay until 30th December. We did find one of the couples I have seen before, still sleeping […]


Have you seen someone sleeping rough?

Have you seen someone sleeping rough?

At the end of a day last week I passed a lady who was out begging.  She was probably in her late 50’s or so, she told me she had been out for three weeks. I wondered if it may have been longer. When I talked with her she pointed to a nearby bin cupboard […]


Sleeping out

Sleeping out

I was out on a night shift last week with the St Mungo’s outreach service in Southwark. These pictures were taken when we were following up a referral for a rough sleeper (apparently a man, but he wasn’t around when we got there) on a notorious, now boarded up estate in the borough. It was an […]


Better the devil…

I had a coffee with one of St Mungo’s key workers yesterday.  She re-iterated something I keep on hearing: that women are much less likely to be visible on the streets than men. One major reason, she said, is that women often stay in relationships which are detrimental to their well-being – such as with […]


Demolition Day

Demolition Day

There was huge excitement and cheers in one of St Mungo’s semi independent houses yesterday, as the old garden shed came crashing down. Now a twisted pile of metal and wood, they’ve got the designs and funds in place, and it’s all systems go to get the new one up. Lucy, one of the women […]


Drowning out the noise

Drowning out the noise

I kept wondering when I was out on night shifts with outreach teams why some people choose to sleep right by main roads where there are constant horns, sirens, revs of cars… I met up with Kath Sims, who has worked in the homeless sector for the past four and half years (at times working […]


Outreach uncovered

Outreach uncovered

Outreach teams work across London, and most other cities or large towns, with people who are sleeping rough. They assess people’s needs, build up relationships and try to help them move on from the streets. I knew very little, if anything, about what this involved before I started this project. So for those of you in […]


You don’t know me

You don't know me

I saw this great copy from an Adidas advert on the tube today, for a second i thought it was talking about the women i work with… (click on the picture to enlarge)  


Letting it unfold

Letting it unfold

This evening didn’t go quite as planned. But that is pretty normal in this project. The person I was meant to meet didn’t turn up. I am having to learn to let go of being so used to having a set structure or daily target for my work and let things unfold much more as […]


The Choir with No Name

The Choir with No Name

Last Saturday reminded me how full London is with things going on. This city is bursting but I find weeks disappear and they pass me by. Luckily this time I caught some of it with Hazel, the voice of the last post, up on the roof gardens on the South Bank. I’m handing over to […]


The women the statistics are missing (includes audio)

The women the statistics are missing (includes audio)

As part of this project I’m working with outreach teams to look at the lives of women sleeping rough on London’s streets.  So far I’ve been out on an early morning and two night shifts. The teams follow up on referrals or go to places where they’ve seen homeless people sleeping before. We were looking […]


Going cold turkey

Going cold turkey

It’s been a week since I was last in the hostel. I don’t like being away a full week. It feels too long. I was happy to look into the TV room when I arrived and see Jakki, one of the residents, sitting there tucking into some toast. I’ve always been an advocate for food […]


Left waiting…

Left waiting...

Earlier today I met with a woman who has asked to remain anonymous. She is currently staying in a temporary shelter that provides short-term accommodation for rough sleepers for up to three weeks. She is a well-educated woman. At the age of 13, she was raiding her father’s library, reading high-brow political books like Sacco […]


What’s in a name?

What's in a name?

I was struggling to find a name for the blog.  Ideas that came up like ‘hidden women’ turned out to be phrases or websites commonly in use.  It was when I sat down with the women in the hostel that I started to get somewhere. I asked them to say in a word or a […]


Welcome to the Where from? Where now? blog…

…an open journal of the stories and views of homeless women in London. Over the next eight months I will spend two days each week working on this project. Through this blog I want to share with you the opinions and experiences of the women I meet and the service providers who work with them. […]