Rotherham Council is planning to create a dedicated accommodation hub for women experiencing or at risk of rough sleeping. The Cabinet will vote on the proposal when it meets on Monday 12 October to discuss the Homelessness, Rough Sleeper and Domestic Abuse Grant.
The hub is scheduled to open in October 2027 and will provide safe accommodation and trauma-informed support tailored to women's needs. It will operate along similar lines to the existing accommodation hub for men, offering a safe and stable environment with intensive support on site.
Why a dedicated women's hub is needed
Currently, women found rough sleeping in Rotherham are often placed in hotels or bed and breakfasts, where on-site support is limited. Data shows the difference this makes: over the past two years, 38.5% of single women achieved a positive move-on outcome, compared with 70% of single males who stayed in the accommodation hub for men.
Evidence also suggests women experiencing homelessness can be less visible than men because they may stay in hidden and unsafe situations rather than sleep on the street.
Part of a wider investment
The women's hub is part of a wider £639,000-a-year programme, fully funded from the Homelessness, Rough Sleeper and Domestic Abuse Grant. The funding also covers recommissioning the existing rough sleeper accommodation hub and combining dispersed schemes into a more flexible service offering around 50 homes across the borough.
The new provision will be separate from existing women's refuge accommodation for victims and survivors of domestic abuse.
What happens next
Rotherham Council will work with the successful provider and women with lived experience of homelessness to identify the right type and location for the service and help shape how it operates.
Cllr Linda Beresford, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: "Women experiencing homelessness can be hidden from view and may remain in unsafe or precarious situations because there is no dedicated local accommodation with on-site support. This proposed hub would address that gap, providing a safe, women-only environment and trauma-informed support to help women regain stability, rebuild their lives and move towards independent living."
The proposal supports Rotherham's Homelessness Prevention and Rough Sleeper Strategy, approved by Cabinet in May 2026.