Mental Health and homelessness
A startling 35% of rough sleepers have a diagnosed mental health problem. A recent survey of one of our hostels found 85% of clients had a personality disorder, 40% with anxiety disorders and 25% with a depressive or post traumatic stress disorder, or a combination of both. One of the most shocking aspects of this discovery was finding that none of theses clients had had a formal diagnosis of their condition.
We have been working through 2009, our 40th anniversary year, to raise awareness of the link between homelessness and poor mental health, which can both cause and prolong rough sleeping. Our aim is to bring the issue to the attention of the public, and demand that policy makers, in the health sector and parliament, recognise and act NOW to bring an end to rough sleeping amongst the mentally ill.
From 5-12 July we held our second annual Action Week, which featured a range of activities for our clients, supporters and contacts within the healthcare sector and local government. There were great opportunities to get involved during Action Week and help homelss people on their recovery.
visit our other Action Week '09 pages:
About mental health & homelessness
Happiness Matters to our clients
40 years - Memories of St Mungo's
- Tell us about a rough sleeper
Fill out our referral form and help our outreach team to make contact with people on the streets
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News
Read about the latest from St Mungo’s and the homelessness sector
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