A day of dual awareness: World Homeless Day and World Mental Health Day
10th October is a day of dual significance, when we pause to recognise both World Homeless Day and World Mental Health Day.
It’s perhaps no coincidence these fall on the same date. According to the 2022 Homeless Health Needs Audit conducted by Homeless Link, 82% of people experiencing homelessness had a diagnosed mental health condition. This is a dramatic increase on 2014 findings and significantly higher than the 12% recorded in the general population. The Audit also reported that 45% of respondents self-medicated with drugs or alcohol to help them cope with poor mental health.
However, amid these daunting statistics, there is hope and a pathway to recovery.
Kairos Director Mossie Lyons writes:
In over thirty years of helping people address addiction related problems, we in Kairos have seen how recovery results in many people learning to be able to address and better manage their mental health issues. We see this with residents living in shared post-rehab move-on houses, supported with the aim of moving to their own independent living. Improved mental health and wellbeing results in a correlated ability to keep home: home, their place of safety, security, joy, privacy and independence.
For a deeper understanding of Homeless Link’s 2022 Homeless Health Needs Audit, access the report here.
