Kalkidan Yohannes ^1* Mats Målqvist ² Hannah Bradby ³ Yemane Berhane ⁴ Dagmawit Tewahido ⁴ Sibylle Herzig van Wees ⁵

• ¹ WOMHER, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
• ² SWEDESD, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
• ³ Department of Sociology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
• ⁴ Addis Continental Institute of Public Health, Addis Ababa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• ⁵ Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet (KI), Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden

Homelessness among women of reproductive age is a global problem. Several unique genderbased issues affect homeless women’s well-being, including reproductive health issues, their homelessness experiences, and a high rate of sexual violence. In this study, we aimed to describe and analyse women’s experiences of street homelessness in their own terms and their suggestions to address their unmet needs. A photovoice study was conducted with women experiencing street homelessness in December 2023 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (n=9). Data were collected using photographs, focus group discussions, and semi-structured interviews. A total of 80 photos were taken, and 40 were chosen to be discussed in interviews and further focus group discussions. The participating women selected photographs that depicted street life, explained their significance, and codified them based on how they related to their lived experiences. Data from these discussions were then analysed using a reflexive thematic approach. Four themes were developed from the data: (a) deprivation of basic needs; (b) experiencing dependency, shame, and seclusion while dealing with street-life burdens; (c) the vulnerability and neglect of children; and (d) being resilient to harsh conditions. In this study, women’s street life was characterised by numerous unfavourable aspects, including unmet needs, human rights violations, social exclusions, substance use, and child protection issues. Participants provided suggestions for change and confirmed their belief that adequate housing represents one of the most urgent unmet basic needs of homeless people. They also emphasised the critical need for employment opportunities, non-discriminatory provision of social support, treatment programmes for substance misuse, and legal and social protection. This study contributes to an understanding of how women experiencing homelessness describe and articulate their living circumstances and what needs to be done to address them. The study’s findings demonstrate that single mothers struggle with unmet basic needs and live in underserved residential areas. Although the women highlighted the experiences of people living on the streets in their photographs, some of the coping strategies posed were detrimental to the homeless people, further aggravating their hardship. Further participatory research is required to explore the views of various other groups of people experiencing homelessness and legal bodies.