Despite the important role women play in Lewisham’s workforce, figures show that a startling amount of single mums in the borough are living in poverty, with 33% of children living below the poverty line, according to the 2021 Consensus.
Due to the prevalence of working single mums, there is a gender pay gap that swings in women’s favour, according to the Lewisham Council Annual Employment Profile for 2023.
This vicious cycle of ‘in-work poverty’ is something fellow single mum Shekera Williams knows all too well, having been raised by a single mum and then becoming one herself.
“I know two other single mums from my area who were just fobbed off in Lewisham,” Phoebe says.
She was allocated temporary accommodation in Lewisham in January 2024 - an area of London she wasn’t familiar with - by Southwark council due to lack of availability in the area.
