"Violence Under Quiet Conditions": Initial Enquiry into Women and 'Rough Sleeping' within Birmingham

This report, written by HCRG member Thea Raisbeck, presents the findings from a 12-month research and learning project.

This project aimed to understand some of the key experiences faced by women broadly defined as, or deemed to be, ‘rough sleeping’ in Birmingham, alongside those of the frontline workers and accommodation providers who work most closely with them. One of the foundational principles of the work was the intention to foreground the ‘wisdom’ of more marginalised and neglected voices and forms of knowledge; within both homelessness systems overall, and within research literature and policy-based narratives around ‘women who sleep rough’.

The focus of the fieldwork for this report coincided with the Rough Sleepers Initiative (RSI) funding for women-specific services commissioned through the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) from March 2020-21. The main point of focus was on the activities of the female outreach worker employed by Spring Housing, who were one of the three recipients of the women-specific RSI funding stream. However, whilst the activity surrounding this funding provided a ‘jumping off point’ for enquiry, this research project did not seek to perform any evaluative functions. It does not comment directly on the design or function of any organisational programmes involved in the women-specific RSI funding stream; nor does is make any broader judgements about the overall efficacy of the funding programme, as designed, and distributed, by the WMCA. Instead, a formalised, ‘women-specific’ funding stream provided a valuable opportunity to begin close observation and analysis of some of the needs, experiences, and pathways of women ‘rough sleeping’ or at risk of doing so, and the interrelated experiences and challenges faced by, particularly, street outreach and accommodation-based services.

This initial report will be followed up by a further publication in 2022, which will further explore the work of the organisations involved in the women-specific’ RSI funding programme, which has been recommissioned from March 2021-March 2022.

Download the full PDF report here

About the author

Thea Raisbeck has over 14 years’ experience in housing, homelessness, and domestic abuse sectors, where she has held a range of frontline, research, policy, and governance roles. Thea combines extensive ‘on the ground’ experience with research expertise in order to produce meaningful work that has relevance and applicability at practice, policy, and strategic levels. 

Thea has held an Honorary Fellowship within the Housing and Communities Research Group at the University of Birmingham for four years. Since gaining her Fellowship, Thea has designed, researched, and authored a series of pathbreaking reports on the ‘exempt accommodation’ subsector. The most recent of these reports, Exempt from Responsibility? continues to have significant impact at practice, policy, and strategic levels; both locally and nationally.

Thea has also published research into domestic abuse and homelessness and lead on the creation of a Charter of Rights for residents in non-commissioned exempt accommodation.

Thea is Head of Research and Best Practice at Spring Housing Association and Vice Chair of a domestic abuse charity in the West Midlands.