Link between homelessness and mental illness

Former Member

Doing a piece on this..anyone any information or resources that could help.

Personal experiences or anything..thanks.

Former Member

ive a brother who was homeless for a few years.. n his heads lit lol .. if thats any good :chin:

Former Member

no use..lol..any more wipeouts up the road?

**helen**

Here's some potential places for resources:

http://www.centrepoint.org.uk/
Crisis media centre - http://www.crisis.org.uk/media/

John Bird big issue founder says:

Mental illness doesn't account for 100 per cent of the homeless problem. But it accounts for the vast majority of it. I hope my film will get people thinking about the real nature of the problem and how we can end it rather than continue to pay money to perpetuate it.

In this article

Might be an idea to get in touch with the Big Issue Foundation.

Also look into the Foyer Federation.

Former Member

**Helen** wrote: »

Here's some potential places for resources:

http://www.centrepoint.org.uk/
Crisis media centre - http://www.crisis.org.uk/media/

John Bird big issue founder says:


In this article

Might be an idea to get in touch with the Big Issue Foundation.

Also look into the Foyer Federation.

John Bird has some rather extreme views on how mental illness should be treated. There is a newspaper article up at the homelessness centre where I sometimes help out which quotes John Bird as saying that they should section all the homeless mentally ill and force treatment upon them against their will.

Former Member

Here, I found an online version of that article:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/newscomment.html?in_page_id=1787&in_article_id=436807

They are ill and should be 'sectioned' - lifted from the streets and confined in the care of the mental health system, behind bars if necessary.

It sounds drastic - and I expect a lot of outraged criticism - but it is the only realistic solution.

:banghead:

Former Member

What an asshole.

Former Member

Someone I know kind of vaguely was a successful business guy person but had a mental breakdown and is now homeless because he can't cope with the stress of life etc.

Don't really know him, I've met him, my mum used to work with his daughter so they talked about him. He's well known in my village back home you see.

Former Member

i would think if your homeless you are going to feel pretty shit about it - simple as

Former Member

otter wrote: »

i would think if your homeless you are going to feel pretty shit about it - simple as

But I think there's more to it than that. I think a large number of homeless people have mental health problems prior to becoming homeless, that often it can be one of the factors that contributes to becoming homeless and then once homeless these problems get even worse.

**helen**

Randomgirl wrote: »

John Bird has some rather extreme views on how mental illness should be treated.

:yes: And many other issues besides - that's why I thought his views might be interesting to look at as part of a study - not to say he's right - but his views will represent a specific way of looking at the issue.

Former Member

i was a law student, doing ok! dropped out in 2004 due to phenomenal pressure from mental health team to not return to bristol UWE. i stuck it out for another year and included an open university course. by this time i was allready well and truly consumed mental health within myself and others.. sectioned, on benefits.. smoking.. the whole experience.. otherwise tickety boo. (i generally like hospitals)

science bit: got discharged from hospital (9months+) to 'supported lodgings' whereby i paid £87per week out of my Disabled living allowence, and council rent benefit made up the rest. this scheme is rolled out around uk... basically a licence agreement, a pro forma from the NHS. but not too rigourously enforced by the landlady.

i had wits about me above everyone else i lived with.. but they were never going to go homeless.

i shall continue..

got left to rot in those lodgings for 2 years.. took out a loan. when things got awful, i even brought a tent in an attempt to sleep rough out somewhere in the countryside forrest. save my benefits for like 4 weeks to put down a deposit on a flat in bristol (33 miles away from gloucester where i am).

didn't happen, managed about 2 or 3 days maximum. built fires, walked miles to tesco and back to get supplies.

was pretty well equiped, even had a wild peacock to keep me company.


this is life story stuff really. used that tent lots to ease myself into homelessness. still keep it to this day for that reason..

have slept in barron land, ex train stations. other places i don't care to remember, toilets etc. i say slept i didn't sleep. partly because of my mind,

i don't know what kind of use this is to your hobby here, but i wouldn't have ever seen myself in those situations right up until the moment when they seemed like a very good idea.


mental illness lent itself to me doing stupid things..

am probably going to go 'missing' from gloucester and bristol possibly england.. this email account i've created is meant for that reason.. it'll be my discrete email address for when i abscond from mental health.. but i wont be homeless... will take a several hundred £s and my P45, and maybe dress in my tailored suit

in the meantime, i'm upgrading my flat.. 2 new phone sockets, another TV socket. phones and new broadband. SOLD all the old stuff that made me depressed in the first place. xmas tree up... i think i'll be ok..





people i have met: this is more appropriate for you... lee was on heroine, crack and canabis and homeless.. spent time in hospital because he had nowhere to go but crack dens.
pauly was a southampton uni student with 2 degrees, now homeless.. no drugs these days, but obviously a very decent man with actual troubles. he's still around, by himself mostly.. don't understand that at all. Dave was an oracle.. he's probably been in hospital for 3years now because they can't find him anywhere to live. that's easily the longest i've ever known anyone to stay in a psychiatric ward for. i still expect him to be there if i go now.

lots of parents threatening their young mental offspring with no place to come home to.. i was there at the time.. my parents WOULD NOT have me back at home.. doctors fully understood this predicament and have no ward here.. The first night i was admitted, i met Stuart who was in that situation too...



homelessness and mental health seems to lend very easily to young males.
don't remember any females here. probably a different mentality for homeless females alltogether a scary mentality as well. not at all suited to my mucking around in hospital instead of doing a degree.. neither i spose.
anyway by way of some sort of crude conclusion. yes easily identifiable link.. should find lots and lots more than helen.

could go on for 50,000 more words. but i need.. a cigarette. how sad.