The Health and Social Care Secretary has announced that
£1.9 million will be given to councils by Public Health
England to help improve the health of rough sleepers.
The funding will be awarded to projects that improve access
to health services and continuity of care for people with
mental ill-health and substance misuse problems who are
sleeping rough or at risk of returning to rough sleeping.
This could include:
- ‘in-reach’ care models where specialist substance
misuse or mental health workers run sessions in hostels or
day centres
- ‘outreach’ models where specialist workers support
rough sleepers at street level
- targeted interventions such as peer health advocacy
that supports individuals to access and attend health
appointments
Applications for a share of the funding should be submitted
to roughsleepinggrant@phe.gov.uk by
5pm on Friday 5 July 2019. Successful projects will be
announced in the summer.
Many people who are sleeping rough experience mental and
physical illness and have substance misuse needs.
Rough sleepers face more barriers accessing health
services, particularly those living with mental illness or
substance misuse.
This can contribute to a ‘revolving door’, leaving
individuals repeatedly in and out of stable accommodation.
Of the people seen sleeping rough in London in 2017 and
2018:
- 50% had mental health needs
- 43% had alcohol misuse problems
- 40% drug misuse problems
The government’s Rough Sleeping
Strategy was announced last August and aims to
halve rough sleeping by 2022.
The NHS Long Term Plan also committed to spending up to £30
million extra over 5 years to meet the health needs of
rough sleepers to ensure better access to specialist
homelessness NHS mental health support.
Health and Social Care Secretary, , said:
Most of us can only imagine what it is like to sleep
rough and it is devastating that so many aren’t getting
the right access to healthcare. Living with a mental
health condition or substance misuse while homeless can
lead to a vicious cycle of crisis where people can’t get
their lives back on track and their health issues remain
unsupported.
Today’s announcement, along with our NHS Long Term Plan,
will provide a crucial lifeline to those at risk of being
left with nowhere to go and is an important step towards
achieving this government’s goal of ending rough sleeping
for good.
Inequalities Minister, , said:
Everyone should have a roof over their head and access to
the right health services, no matter who they are. We are
determined to stamp out this injustice once and for all.
Understanding the factors that can lead to homelessness
and the triggers that can trap people in a pattern of
addiction and sleeping rough, coupled with a lack of
support for their mental health, is crucial. This funding
will help better equip local authorities to protect
society’s most vulnerable and ensure no one slips through
the net.
