This International Women’s Day, INSP is drawing attention to some articles from street papers which focus on the experiences of homeless and marginalised women. Strassenkrezuer recently featured a story on ‘Haus Sonnenschein’ (‘House of Sunshine’), a shelter for women who have nowhere else to go, and the only one exclusively for women in Nuremberg.

This International Women’s Day, INSP is sharing stories from street papers that highlight the experiences of homeless women. Women are less likely to end up sleeping rough than men. They are more likely to receive help, and may have better support networks. But they are also more vulnerable on the streets. Swizz street paper Surprise looks at some of the reasons why women are less likely to be expected to end up on the streets.

In the most recent count of the homeless community in Multnomah County, Oregon, 1,355 adult women were identified as homeless, making up 36 per cent of the total homeless population, a 16 per cent rise from the previous survey. Street Roots spoke to five of its vendors about what women living on the streets experience.

Women aged 24 to 34, often with children, are the most likely to access homelessness services in Australia, while homelessness among older women is on the rise. Big Issue Australia vendor Cheryl shares her experiences of being homeless as a woman.

Over the last few years, homeless women have become a familiar sight on the streets of Italy and the problem of homelessness has been steadily increasing among Italy’s female population. As the number of homeless women continues to rise, Scarp explores the reasons behind this and learns more about the unique problems that are faced by women living on the street.

In Germany, 100,000 women have no home of their own and a quarter of all homeless people are women. bodo spent time with four women from Bochum who are facing homelessness. They talked about their experiences and explained why women who live on the streets are ignored.