Mental health and homelessness are deeply interconnected. Research consistently shows that rates of mental health difficulties among people experiencing homelessness are substantially higher than in the general population — with some studies suggesting that over 80% of people in homelessness services have experienced a mental health difficulty at some point in their lives.
This connection runs in both directions. Mental health difficulties can cause or contribute to homelessness. And homelessness — the stress, the instability, the exposure to trauma, the lack of privacy and safety — makes mental health worse. Understanding this interaction is essential for effective support.
This module explores the mental health experiences most common among people accessing homelessness services: what they look like, how they interact with homelessness, and what this means for practice. It is educational rather than clinical — it does not provide diagnostic or clinical advice.
This is a Foundation-level module within Subject 5: Mental Health and Wellbeing.