WOMEN EXPERIENCING HIDDEN HOMELESSNESS ARE
routinely absent from official statistics because their realities don't align with narrow and outdated definitions of homelessness.
MANY WOMEN AREN'T SLEEPING ON THE STREETS. INSTEAD, THEY ARE:
Moving between friends’ or relatives’ sofas to avoid having nowhere at all.
Frequently relocating without a stable or permanent address.
Remaining in unsafe or abusive relationships because leaving would mean homelessness.
Denied support because they don’t appear “homeless enough”.
Because their homelessness is hidden, these women are often classified as not in priority need, labelled as intentionally homeless, or excluded from support altogether. Intervention is delayed until circumstances escalate into a visible crisis by which point harm has already been done.
Hidden homelessness is not rare. It is not accidental. And it is not gender neutral.
It is a widespread, gendered issue shaped by systemic gaps that fail to recognise how women survive instability. Understanding hidden homelessness means recognising that safety, dignity, and stability should not be conditional on sleeping rough.
She Believes She Can exists to make the invisible visible, and to ensure women are supported before survival reaches breaking point.
WHY PREVENTION MATTERS
Harm begins long before women meet the threshold for help.
Most women experiencing hidden homelessness are ineligible for support until their situation reaches visible breaking point. By that stage, harm has already compounded, abuse has escalated, mental health has deteriorated, and options have narrowed. Prevention means intervening earlier, when women still have agency, choice, and the ability to stabilise without further risk.
Crisis-led responses are costly and consistently too late.
Systems designed to react to visible breakdown fail both women and services. Waiting until situations escalate increased reliance on emergency accommodation, repeat homelessness, and long-term support. Early intervention reduces demand on overstretched systems by addressing risk before it escalates, preventing avoidable harm and expense.
Early support protects dignity and safeguards futures.
Prevention enables women to access help without having to perform distress or repeatedly disclose trauma. It allows them to remain connected to work, education, parenting, and community, preventing isolation and long-term exclusion. When support arrives early, lives are not dismantled to qualify for help; they are protected.