Rough sleeping in rural England: challenging a problem denied

Rough sleeping in rural England is a social problem denied. This neglect reflects the more general non-coupling of homelessness and rurality, with idyll-ised notions of rural England informing interpretations of social problems in rural spaces. This article contends that this non-coupling also stems from the inappropriate application of traditional methods for estimating rough sleeping in rural locations. The particular geography of problem recognition that has driven the policy response to rough sleeping is revealed and the insights provided by and challenges raised through the application of an alternative method of counting rough sleeping sensitive to the rural context are exposed.