Dispatches: Season 2019, Episode 28

2019 - 28: Homeless and Pregnant

Homelessness is on the rise in the UK, but nobody knows how many pregnant women face the possibility of having their baby without a home to go back to. This programme explores the issue of expectant mothers who find themselves with no place to call home, and conducts a survey of midwives in collaboration with the Royal College of Midwives to try to get a sense of the scale of the problem. Ninety-five per cent of the midwives asked strongly felt that homelessness puts the health of the women and their unborn babies at risk. The report follows three women - two of whom are heavily pregnant - experiencing evictions, overcrowding and the reality of living in temporary accommodation for years on end.