Evidence Needed On Breaking The Cycle Between Mental Illness And Homelessness, Says St Mungo's, UK

Main Category: Mental Health
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 17 Apr 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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What kind of housing works best for people with mental health problems who are at risk of sleeping rough? What are the barriers preventing homeless people with a mental illness from receiving appropriate treatment? What should be the roles and responsibilities of central, regional and local government?

Homelessness charity St Mungo's has launched a national Call for Evidence to bring together best practice on mental health and homelessness from a range of opinions, warning that this must be addressed if the government is to achieve its 2012 zero rough sleeping target.

The organisation, London's largest charity for homeless people, plans to publish the findings in a major report in autumn 2009, focusing on:

- The causes of homelessness among people with mental health problems
- What helps prevent or resolve homelessness among people with mental health problems
- Examples of best practice for those who are homeless and have a mental illness

Around a third of those sleeping on the streets are believed to have a diagnosed mental illness. This proportion relates only to those who suffer from "severe and enduring mental illnesses" such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It does not include people with psychological disorders that have not yet crossed the threshold to severe, but which do impact on life chances - such as undiagnosed mental health problems, emotional and psychological disorders and 'lower level' mental illnesses such as stress or anxiety.

A survey of one of St Mungo's street-facing hostels found up to 85 per cent of clients with personality disorders; around 40 per cent with anxiety disorder; and around 25 per cent each with depressive disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, these individuals were actively "help-shunning", rather than "help-seeking", as part of their mental health condition, with many also dealing with drug or alcohol issues.

Charles Fraser, Chief Executive of St Mungo's, said: "Despite the very welcome reduction in the numbers of rough sleepers over the last decade, the proportion with a mental illness has remained static at around a third. These are often the individuals with the most intractable problems, who need the most determined help, and it is reprehensible they are not getting it.

"Tackling mental illness has long been a priority for St Mungo's. A number of our projects have their routes in the Homeless Mentally Ill Initiatives of the 1990s. We have pioneered the use of the Recovery Approach with homeless people, and have become the first homeless charity to enable comprehensive access to talking treatments to our clients. This is because the need is stark. No one with a mental illness should be left to sleep rough on the streets. We have to offer more to help these people already living on the margins of society.

"We know that the experience of many homeless people with mental illness is characterised by a vicious circle, where this group avoids services, and many mainstream services avoid this group. To break the cycle, we need to develop our understanding of the problem by broadening the evidence base. We need to add to our understanding of what works for this group to design services and treatments that are accessible and effective. And we need to engage all partners in the successful design and delivery of solutions by establishing a broad coalition across the mental health field, the homelessness sector, and policymakers.

"This Call for Evidence aims to bring together research and views from a wide range of sectors, organisations and individuals to offer recommendations for effective solutions that can bring real help to an often forgotten group."

St Mungo's is also asking its clients their views about mental health and homelessness. A peer research project, with homeless people interviewing others about their views and experiences, will begin shortly with the findings published during St Mungo's 40th anniversary Action Week from 5-12 July 2009. This snapshot of views will then feed into the main Call for Evidence report.

Notes

St Mungo's is one of the UK's leading charities for homeless people. We provide over 100 accommodation and support services, day in and day out. We run emergency services - including street outreach and emergency shelter. We support homeless people in their recovery - opening the door to safe housing, health care and work, and help homeless people into lasting new homes, training and employment. We also prevent homelessness through our complex needs housing and support teams for people at real risk, such as ex-offenders.

Source
St Mungo's