A pair of hands in fingerless gloves, holding a small cardboard cutout of a house

Ashfield District Council joins Women's Rough Sleeper Census

A census to learn more about the experiences of women living on the streets is being supported by Ashfield District Council.

The Council will be taking part in the Women’s Rough Sleeper Census from Monday to Sunday, 22 to 28 September, 2025.

The census aims to bring visibility to the experiences of women who are rough sleeping, which will help to inform better service design and improved outcomes.  

Every year data is collected about people who are sleeping rough across England. Experience has found that women are among the most vulnerable people in the rough sleeping population, but they are often missing from this crucial data.  

Women who are experiencing homelessness are generally less visible. They can be found seeking shelter in fast-food restaurants, on night buses, in unsafe accommodation or walking throughout the night to avoid the dangers of sleeping on the street.  

The teams will work with women affected by homelessness to complete a short survey on their experience. This anonymised data will then be collated to provide a more accurate picture of women’s rough sleeping and inform changes in policy and practice that help women get better, more targeted support. 

Cllr Tom Hollis, Ashfield District Council’s Executive Lead Member for Strategic Housing and Climate Change, said: 

“Learning more about the problems faced by women living on the streets is valuably important and will help us provide better services for supporting them.

This is the third year we have taken part in the census. It will see us working alongside partner agencies to coordinate a week of outreach and drop-in sessions to try to speak with as many women as possible.

We are pleased to be part of this census so we can help those women, and indeed anyone who is homeless, in any way we can. If you are aware of someone sleeping rough, please let us know.”

Rough sleeper 24 hour hotline for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire:

  • telephone (freephone): 0800 066 5356
  • Text 'SOT' followed by your message to 80800.

 

For further information, please contact Jenny Moody, Communications officer:

Posted on 17 September 2025