"Scruffy" Teora, Amy, and Jai.(UNSEEN/Belinda Mason) Between 2006 and 2016 the number of women experiencing homelessness in the state increased by 75 per cent and continues to grow. There are more than 15,000 homeless women in NSW. The pandemic has exacerbated the issue further with experts likening the situation to a ticking timebomb. Homelessness is not just sleeping rough. It could mean living in unsuitable or unsafe temporary accommodation, staying with friends, or finding shelter at a refuge. "We saw a lot of that through COVID â the sad reality is that women were placed in places that weren't really suitable to their needs," Monique Wiseman from Homelessness NSW told Nine.com.au.