This month's monthl spotlight is surrounded by the subject of homelessness and women. HU-Theatre acknowledges that many women are homeless. From the very beginning of civilization women have been seen as an oppressed group. Both homeless men and women face struggles but they face different struggles; for homeless women violence is often part of the story. There are many reasons people become homeless but as the national charity for homeless people Crisis say on their website there are certain experiences that make women become homeless. “Whilst homelessness for both men and women is often caused by a combination of events, the triggers and experiences of women's homelessness tend to be of a distinct nature”. Click here to view their site; http://www.crisis.org.uk/index.php.Homeless women are in the minority but they are said to have high vulnerability. According to Crisis, their interviews with homeless women showed that over 20% of women became homeless to escape violence from someone they knew, with the majority (70%) fleeing violence from a partner. Domestic Abuse can lead to a myriad of other issues like mental health issues and substance abuse.Women who are “rough sleepers”- sleeping on the streets, are very likely to physically attacked, verbally abused and sexually assaulted. According to crisis, women are more likely to respond to these dangers by making themselves “invisible”, choosing places to sleep which are hidden from view, disguising their homeless status in some way. This means that it is difficult to get a true estimate of the number of women who are homeless. “All statistics, particularly rough sleeping, may not be very accurate as they are based on a street count and women may be hidden from main streets,” says Ester Sample, the charity’s women’s strategy manager. Click here to view this article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/…/Sexual-exploitation-violence-a….It is also likely that, at any given time, there are also many women staying in 'hidden', informal and marginalized homeless accommodation situations. Crisis' interviews with homeless women found an alarming number engaging in unwanted sexual liaisons in order to secure accommodation, such as prostitution or going back to old, potentially abusive, partners. Another issue to do with women and homelessness is things like sanitary needs, and access to health services. According to Lydia Smith from The Telegraph, homeless women’s average life expectancy is 43 years. Women tend to face steeper challenges relating to physical health. It is a daily struggle for women sleeping rough to keep clean, particularly when on their period, which poses a grave risk to their health, dignity and sense of self-worth. Campaigns such as the homeless period are helping spread awareness of this issue and hopefully encouraging people to donate sanitary towels and tampons. Also because of the likely hood of experiences of rape, sexual exploitation and prostitution for women who are homeless, there should be a lot more access to gynecological and sexual health care for these vulnerable women.Two women are killed each week as a result in domestic violence and the most dangerous time for the women in an abusive relationship is when she leaves. Click here to view the source: http://safelives.org.uk/policy-eviden…/about-domestic-abuse…. So HU-Theatre believes that there should be a lot more services for women who are trying to escape violent homes and relationships, for them to be able to move to a safe space that isn’t the streets.HU-Theatre recognises that women-specific services are extremely detrimental to meeting the particular needs of homeless women. Another struggle that women face is childcare. The struggle of taking care of their children while they are in a very bad situation in their life.