HIDDEN homelessness
Finding a place to sleep is a matter of life and death for the women who make up two-thirds of London’s hidden homeless. Stylist investigates an invisible crisis that’s reaching fever pitch
Words: Meena Alexander
Content warning: this article contains references to addiction, abuse and suicidal ideation
If you found yourself suddenly out on the street, no money and no loved ones to help, which direction would you walk in? Which underpass or alleyway might you consider, with tired eyes, as a potential bed for the night? Would you seek out others sheltering in makeshift tents, or would being alone feel safer? Would you risk asking that group of drunk men passing by for help? What would worry you more, that first night: the theft of your few precious possessions or the risk of being raped? And what about the cold? On a London street in December, temperatures can drop to –3°C; spend too long sat still and your breathing will slow, your speech will begin to slur, and your heart will start to struggle. Does breaking into an abandoned building, or offering yourself up for sex work, start to look like a better option? These are the kind of decisions hundreds of women in the UK must weigh up every week, whether they’ve been made homeless by skyrocketing rents, abusive partners or the sudden no-fault evictions that have hit a seven-year high, climbing by 38% in the last year. If you’re lucky, their situation will feel worlds away, but for an ever-growing portion of society hit by a cost-of-living and housing crisis with no end in sight, it’s really not. In London, there were more rough
