Government urged to help mentally ill rough sleepers
Six homelessness organisations have called on the government to pledge that no one with a mental health illness will be sleeping rough after 2012.
An open letter has been sent to MPs to tie in with World Mental Health Day, which was on Saturday, to highlight the lack of mental health support services for homeless people.
It demands that care services minister Phil Hope includes a pledge for better services specifically for homeless people in the government’s New horizons mental health strategy, which closes for consultation on Thursday.
It also asks for a commitment that no one diagnosed with a mental health illness should be sleeping rough by 2012.
Charities Crisis and St Mungo’s have also been pressing the point at fringe sessions at this year’s party conferences.
The letter is signed by chief executives Charles Fraser of St Mungo’s, Leslie Morphy of Crisis, Jenny Edwards of Homeless Link, Howard Sinclair of Broadway and Jeremy Swain of Thames Reach. Major Ray Irving, the London headquarters’ divisional commander of the Salvation Army, also signed.
The letter states: ‘Research paints a bleak picture. Around a third of rough sleepers in London are recognised as having mental health problems.
‘How can we continue to allow people with a mental illness to sleep on our pavements?’
Mike McCall, executive director of operations at St Mungo’s, said: ‘World Mental Health Day has become a notable date in the calendar.
‘We wanted to make the point that much more needs to be done for homeless people with mental health problems – from severe and enduring illnesses to personality disorders.’
St Mungo’s produced a study, Happiness matters, this summer which found that 40 per cent of its clients were diagnosed with depression, 22 per cent with schizophrenia, and 65 per cent said they either drank or took drugs ‘because it is easier than coping with my life’.
The charity also did peer research in July which concluded that people wanted more specialist support when and wherever they needed it, such as through drop-in centres and onsite mental health workers.
The Salvation Army also produced a report this summer, The seeds of exclusion 2009, which found that 80 per cent of homeless adults had alcohol or drug problems for which they were not receiving medical help.
The government set out its intent to end rough sleeping by 2012 in its rough sleeping strategy No one left out: communities ending rough sleeping in November 2008.
Have your say
You must sign in to make a comment