Homeless women (1): What they deal with would crack most people up

The stigma of being without a home is arguably stronger for women than for men, because of all the things society tells women they should be doing: getting married, settling down in a house, having children. To be without a home is not only to have failed as a person, but as a woman.

Over a period of six weeks, Jane Brotchie spoke to 35 women in Brighton and Hove who were living in squats, vans, bed and breakfast hotels or hostels for homeless people. Between 1990 and 1991 there were at least a thousand homeless and insecurely housed women in the area: more than half of them had children.

Many of the women Jane Brotchie met are ordinary people with stories to tell, who feel misunderstood and angry that they are blamed for their misfortunes. 'People see us as layabouts - tramps, prostitutes, no-hopers, wasters, said Clare, 19, who was sexually abused by her parents and cannot return home. 'They need to understand that a lot of girls come from privileged backgrounds: it's all walks of life, all parts of the population.

'What we have to deal with would crack most people up. It means having no one to turn to; being on your own; having no money; no friends; no family; being rejected; being abused; feeling threatened and insecure; spending a lot of time on your own, and feeling under enormous stress.'

According to research by Char, the housing campaign for single people, four in 10 young women who become homeless have experienced sexual abuse in childhood or adolescence. Local sources in Brighton and Hove suggest these figures may be too low: one hostel for young women reports that more than half of their residents have had a history of sexual abuse.

There also appear to be more homeless young women than men: the number of 16- and 17-year-old women approaching Brighton Housing Trust Housing Advice Centre in one year was almost twice as high as the number of young men.

Only some of these young women would be housed under current legislation - if they have children or can prove they are 'vulnerable'. Others must take their chances.

Many women who become homeless feel confused and guilty. Being without a home is not just a practical struggle,

it is a battle to retain dignity and strength against terrible odds, as one woman said, 'you're fighting a war on your own'.