Homelessness and Women with The Connection at St Martins & Solace Women’s Aid

There is a hidden crisis on the streets in England it is estimated that around 8000 people are sleeping rough every night and a growing percentage of rough sleepers are women. The Connection at St Martin in the Fields support people sleeping rough in the heart of London.  The Connection opens their doors to everyone who needs a place to call home helping them to recover and find their way off the streets, getting to know everyone they work with. Our guest today is Ellie Greenhalgh, women’s development unit (WDU) manager with The Connection at St Martin’s who work with Solace Women’s Aid to provide a safe space for homeless women. Ellie discusses with us the link between violence against women and girls and homelessness, and tells us that almost all women sleeping rough have experienced gendered violence in their lives, yet homelessness among women has received less attention from policy makers, the media, and in some cases service providers, resulting in a gap between women’s needs and existing service provision. We discuss these gaps and what the WDU are doing to close them. We hear how Women’s homelessness is often invisible meaning they cannot access the correct support and the importance of gathering realistic data for women on the streets.Ellie talks to us about the importance of changing the narrative for homeless females and why menstrual care and ensuring a safe space is vital for the women and how a new census collecting more comprehensive data for homeless women will hopefully start to make changes.We also learn the best ways we can all aid and support women who sleep rough. Did you know the UK government’s credit card bill for 2021 was £145 million?Jinty looks into the more bizarre items they’ve been spending tax payers money on.Housework who does it in your house? Philosophers are arguing about how men and women perceive domestic chores, we discuss why some men are housework blind. In the Book Collective we continue with Sarah Graham’s bestselling book, Rebel Bodies. We thought we could not be any more shocked but after reading chapter 5, All in Your Head: Mental Health and Hysteria the gaping disparities within the health service are shocking. We tell you about our WI challenge during vulva cancer awareness month and there’s a fantastic quote. It’s another episode jam packed with chat, your comments, and all the usual shenanigans. So, settle in for this hour(ish) podcast full of meaningful chat. If you’ve enjoyed our Podcast please consider buying us a Ko-Fi. This helps us ensure we bring you quality of content and sound.https://ko-fi.com/womenkindcollectivepodcastOur campaign for a Menopause Clinic in Devon is moving closer but we still need signatures on our petition: https://www.change.org/p/wheresmyclinicOr to send your testimonials please email us: [email protected] finally, if you would like the templates to send to your MP or CCG please visit our website: https://menopauseclinicfordevon.co.uk The Connection at St Martin in The Fields: https://www.connection-at-stmartins.org.ukSolace Women’s Aid: https://www.solacewomensaid.org--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/womenkindcollectivepodcast/message☕ SUBSCRIBE for honest chats on women’s health, feminist issues, sisterhood & smashing the patriarchy, one cuppa at a time.💛 Enjoying the podcast? Please share, leave us a review or comment!If you would like to you can Buy us a coffee at Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/womenkindcollectivepodcast💬 We love hearing from you, email us your ideas here Jinty & Lou @ [email protected]👀 Join us on instagram here https://www.instagram.com/womenkindcollective?igsh=ZmxmbGs2d3BjcXA1&utm_source=qr🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/womenkind-collective/id1557937820🎧 Listen on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/42KniEtc5WGQhNvREsN1WP?si=e14a83c93a304bb3And all your favourite Podcast PlatformsThank you for Listening Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.