On any given night, there are over 800 single homeless women in DC.

In the Spring of 2017, the Women's Task Force of the Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) worked with the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness (TCP) to analyze gender and household data from the 2017 Point in Time Count.

This data was very revealing, showing that there were several differences between the experiences of homeless men and women, and that homeless women experienced mental illness and violence at far greater rates than men do.

Armed with this initial data, the Women's Task Force conducted a separate study in the Fall of 2017 to better understand the needs of homeless women. Below is the full report and the Executive Summary of the data.

Initial Highlights

• Two-thirds of women with histories of domestic violence and trauma report an additional act of violence against them while they were homeless. "There is no longer a distinction between women experiencing 'domestic violence' and women who are seeking safe housing because they are homeless" (2017 DC Women's Needs Assesment Report, p20).
• Programs to support homeless women must work from trauma-informed model and provide trauma services.
• Housing and services must be designed to meet the needs of all women, including young women, senior women, lesbian and bisexual women, transgender women, and non-binary and gender nonconforming individuals

There are over 7,000 homeless individuals in DC. But, there are only 5,000 emergency shelter beds.

While DC General stays open, there are around 5,000 emergency shelter beds. DC has the obligation to provide shelter for all homeless individuals when it’s a Cold Emergency [DC Department of Human Services]. It is required by law.

But a shortage of beds means that in normal conditions, there are at least 2,000 people who are going to be left out in the rain. This lack of capacity especially hurts women, for whom there are only 313 shelter beds in the city.

There are only 7 places in the DC area for the homeless community to shower outside of a shelter.

When you look at the estimated population of homeless individuals in DC [Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness], that means we're talking about 1,000 people/shower location. That’s impossible :(

In addition, when looking at confounding factors such as accessibility and transportation, the available showering areas become even less of an option.

Women and girls suffer exponentially in the homeless community.

Living in these extremely challenging conditions proves to be a uniquely hard experience within the homeless community as a feminine body—or any body other than a non-cisgender male for that matter. Being a feminine body is extremely dangerous and dehumanizing. You are often targeted for violence and taking care of hygienic needs is a luxury rather than a given.

In addition, domestic violence is the immediate cause of homelessness for many women [National Alliance to End Homelessness]. Studies show that a high percentage of women experiencing homelessness are domestic abuse survivors, even if domestic abuse is not the direct cause of homelessness.

Homelessness is not an anomaly that happens to “those people.” It can be just one miscalculation or unforeseen challenge away.

Many poor families share the same characteristics as homeless families [National Alliance to End Homelessness]. They are headed by single women with low education, young, and have high rates of domestic violence and mental illness. All it takes is one unplanned life event to shake someone’s world.

Homelessness is OUR problem.

Nothing changes until we make it happen. We need to change our lens and see that homeless individuals deserve safe, healthy, and most importantly autonomous lives.