Peter Boyd-Piercy is a PhD student at I-SPHERE (Institute for Social Policy, Housing and Equalities Research), Heriot-Watt University. Her research focuses on how the construct of ‘personality disorder’ impacts women experiencing homelessness, substance misuse problems and involvement in the criminal justice system, in terms of their experiences of services and support.

Prior to starting her PhD Peter had worked in the homeless sector in London for the past decade. This encompassed various roles including working as a frontline practitioner working in hostels and day centres, as well as strategic and policy roles such as rough sleeping pathway coordinator for an inner-London Local Authority and delivering a project to improve policy and practice towards women experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping. She has also been involved in projects to address discrimination and improve service responses to people with complex emotional needs described as ‘personality disorder’.