Culture change needed to help homeless women in ‘period poverty’

Researchers from the University of Southampton say more openness and discussion about homeless women’s menstrual health is desperately needed to give them greater access to sanitary products and improve their wellbeing.

The call comes at the University’s Centre for Homelessness Research and Practice (CHRP) Annual Conference (today 11 June, 2025) as the team behind the project ‘The Homeless Period’ present their latest findings.

Alongside menstrual health, a host of contributors will explore the theme of ‘collaboration’ to help address multiple issues affecting homeless people. Delegates will discuss how working together can help address the pressing need for workforce development in the sector and also a disproportionate exposure to climate change effects that individuals experience when living on the streets.

Period poverty is a global problem and one which women face every day in the UK. Menstrual health management creates significant challenges to women on a low income, particularly if they can’t afford proper sanitary products. They often find themselves ‘making do’ with cloth or toilet paper.

Lead researcher at the University of Southampton, Dr Stephanie Barker , says their research reveals many barriers to homeless women managing menstruation: “Access to hygiene products, limited privacy and a lack of bathroom facilities lead people to abandon other basic needs and put them in vulnerable positions.

“Women have told us how they often can’t access public toilets – either because of the cost to enter them, or because people think they are taking drugs. This leads them to change period products on the street, in parks, or sometimes even behind rubbish bins. Very sadly, women talk of feeling ashamed and embarrassed when having their period while on the streets.

“We desperately need a change in culture, where women and people working in the homeless care sector can talk openly about the issue, without feeling uncomfortable or stigmatised. This will go a long way to creating an environment of understanding and help to address the issue.”

Over the last year, psychologists at the University of Southampton conducted in-depth interviews with a group of homeless women to document their experiences and understand more about the challenges they face. They also spoke to frontline and management staff in the homeless care sector. The project builds on findings of a previous study by the team published in 2024.

The team has made a series of new recommendations, including:

• Training for frontline staff to help them speak openly about periods, signpost to support services and help reduce stigma.
• Help women maintain dignity by providing a range of freely available period products to all homeless women, ensuring these are culturally appropriate.
• Give free access to public toilets which are open, clean and provide menstrual product disposal.

Period poverty is one of a number of important issues being discussed at the 2025 CHRP conference (Mary Ward House Conference Centre, London). Workshops and seminars will also address ways in which collaboration can help address issues such as the disproportionate impact of the extremes of heat and cold associated with climate change on people who sleep rough and are in low quality housing, and how workforce training can improve support.

“Collaboration should be a foundation of the success of research and practice in this field if we are to effectively engage in the complexities of homelessness. All of our initiatives are designed around partnership between the University and government, health and third sector stakeholders,” says conference organiser and University of Southampton Professor of Psychology, Nick Maguire .

He continues: “Our Centre has been at the forefront of developing training in psychologically informed approaches, based on our research, and collaborates with a local social enterprise to provide placements for trainee clinical psychologists who wish to work in the sector,”

Researchers from the CHRP contributed to a recent government ‘task and finish’ initiative to assess homelessness workforce needs and how to address them. Southampton is also the first University, nationally and internationally, to offer a postgraduate training programme for front line workers – funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.