Our reflections on World Homeless Day and World Mental Health Day

Today marks both World Homeless Day and World Mental Health Day. This shared day is an opportunity to reflect on how these two important issues are deeply intertwined, with poor mental health both a cause and a consequence of homelessness.  
 
We know that a safe, secure and affordable home is the foundation on which every person can build a healthy life. But decades of underfunding in social housing, supported housing and mental health support services have left people to fall through the cracks in the system. Things can and must change, and the government now has an opportunity to set a long-term housing strategy and homelessness strategy that helps housing and health providers to work together.  

In this blog, I’ll explore how, to meaningfully address homelessness, we must also work to solve people’s mental health challenges to break the cycle of homelessness for good. I’ll also explain why supported housing is so well placed to help break this cycle. 

How does supported housing help tackle health inequalities? 

People experiencing homelessness face significant health inequalities, and poorer health outcomes than the rest of the population, often facing several barriers to accessing support. Homeless Link’s Unhealthy State of Homelessness report found that 82% of people experiencing homelessness also had a mental health diagnosis. All too often, people are only able to access support once they’ve reached crisis point.  
 
This is why supported housing can be a lifeline, because it can offer a safe home for someone struggling with their health and wellbeing, before it spirals into an emergency. Without enough supported housing, thousands of people may have to endure life without the support they need, facing long stays in residential or institutional care, or at risk of homelessness.  

How does supported housing help the NHS and people leaving hospital? 

A lack of suitable homes is a key barrier to discharging patients who no longer need to be in hospital. This has negative impacts on the health and wellbeing of people who are stuck in hospital, as well on the capacity and costs of the NHS. Our research found that in September 2024, waiting for supported housing was the single largest reason for delayed discharges from mental health hospitals. These delays cost the NHS £71m in the same year.

With more supported housing, we could reduce delays in hospital discharge and help tackle capacity issues and cost inefficiencies in the NHS. We could also help prevent people being discharged into homelessness. A Freedom of Information Request to hospital trusts in England last year showed that at least 4,200 people were discharged from hospital into homelessness from 2022-23. Without enough supported homes, we miss an opportunity to address the underlying problems and support people to live a healthy and independent life.

What needs to happen to make sure we have enough supported homes? 

Housing associations are committed to ending homelessness in England. But as supported housing faces a worsening funding crisis and more service closures, providers need urgent intervention from the government to save these services from closure. 
 
As we reflect on World Homeless Day and World Mental Health Day, we are calling on the government to: 

• Commit to long-term and increased funding for housing-related support, clearly identifiable in consolidated funding allocations. 
• Provide help for local authorities and integrated care boards to plan for, fund and commission supported housing. 
• Award increased, more flexible grant funding to deliver supported housing through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme. 
• Ensure that the long-term housing strategy and homeless strategy recognise the vital role of supported housing in the housing system.