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Homelessness is a global challenge.

The United Nations Human Settlements Program estimates that 1.1 billion people live in inadequate housing, and the best data available suggest that more than 100 million people have no housing at all.

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An assessment of homeless families' diet and nutrition

Maxine Jenkins

This article describes an assessment of nutrition of families resident in temporary accommodation. A questionnaire and a 24-hour food diary were completed by the main care provider of each family. The findings demonstrated that, adults in temporary accommodation were eating higher proportions of carbohydrates, protein, sugar and fat, and families were eating lower proportions of fruits, vegetables and dairy products than is...

Improving Access to Psychosocial Interventions for Common Mental Health Problems in the United Kingdom: Narrative Review and Development of a Conceptual Model for Complex Interventions

In the United Kingdom and worldwide, there is significant policy interest in improving the quality of care for patients with mental health disorders and distress. Improving quality of care means addressing not only the effectiveness of interventions but also the issue of limited access to care. Research to date into improving access to mental health care has not been strongly rooted within a conceptual model, nor has it...

Mental Health Services for Homeless: Patient Profile and Factors Associated with Suicide and Homicide

E. Dunne

M. Duggan

J. O'Mahony

This study aimed to establish a profile of users of the mental health service for homeless in Cork, comparing this group with those attending a General Adult Service. The homeless group were significantly more likely to be male (89% v 46%), unemployed (96% v 68%), unmarried (98% v 75%) and under 65 (94% v 83%). Diagnostically, there was a significantly higher prevalence of schizophrenia (50% v 34%); personality disorder (37%...

Help Seeking and Access to Primary Care for People from “Hard-to-Reach” Groups with Common Mental Health Problems

According to the World Health Organization, half of all people with ill health in Western Europe have mental illness, with the majority coming into the diagnostic categories of anxiety and depression. Such problems impose substantial emotional, social and economic burdens on those who experience them, their families and carers, and society as a whole. The National Service Framework for mental health in England dictated that...

Homelessness in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Audit Office

Homelessness can affect anyone in society. Contrary to popular belief, it is not restricted to people who sleep rough. Many households, recorded in official statistics as homeless, are living somewhere that it is not suitable for them. Other households, not included in the statistics or visible on the streets, are the hidden homeless who may be squatting or sharing with friends. Homelessness is also often linked to mental...

How can German housing cooperatives contribute to reducing climate change?

Gabriele Wendorf

Germany is well known for its long and significant history of housing cooperatives. These organizations continue to play a crucial role in the housing sector. Although there are more than 2.000 housing cooperatives with over two million apartments and over three million members in Germany providing housing to communities and people, unfortunately, it is not precisely known how many of these cooperatives include the issue of...

Poverty and ethnicity in Scotland

Gina Netto

Filip Sosenko

Glen Bramley

The size, make-up and settlement patterns of minority ethnic communities are significantly different in devolved Scotland from those in England. Little attention has been given to systematically examining the relationship between poverty and ethnicity, particularly in Scotland. Yet, in the face of extensive cuts to public spending, it is crucial that the impacts to small minority ethnic communities are considered. This review...

Youth matters in London: Mental health, addiction and homelessness

This project will work closely with existing service partners involved in street level services and focus on testing and evaluating three approaches for street level interventions for youth who are homeless and who have severe or moderate mentally illness. Youth will be asked to choose their preferred service approach: Housing First related initiatives focused on interventions designed to move youth to appropriate and...

Forced Evictions and Human Rights

International human rights law establishes norms and principles touching on virtually all facets of life. This is reflected in the consistent reaffirmation by the international community of the indivisibility and interdependence of all human rights, whether civil, cultural, economic, political or social. The indispensable equality of all human rights, now firmly entrenched in the provisions of international human rights...

Bridging the Gap: the Question of "Social Rent" in European Housing Policy

Christian Donner

As a starting point for this book, this report followed the impression that private initiatives were increasingly being used to provide social rental dwellings in a number of European countries. The clear demarcation of the funding and roles of each sector of the housing market seemed to be becoming blurred. The private sector would no longer work solely with private finance and no longer operate solely along strictly...

Decayed and missing teeth and oral-health-related factors: Predicting depression in homeless people

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of dental health status, dental anxiety and oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) upon homeless people's experience of depression. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a sample of homeless people in seven National Health Service Boards in Scotland. All participants completed a questionnaire to assess their depression, dental anxiety and OHRQoL using reliable...

Homelessness, Drug Use and Hepatitis C: A Complex Problem Explored within the Context of Social Exclusion

Joanne Neale

This commentary explores the relationships between homelessness, drug use and Hepatitis C infection, within the broader context of social exclusion. Although it is difficult to estimate the number of homeless people who are misusing drugs or the number of drug users who are homeless, UK and international literature indicate a significant overlap between the two groups. Homeless drug users (HDUs) tend to experience many life...

Co-morbid substance misuse and mental health problems: Policy and practice in Scotland

This article attempts to conceptualize the issues, problems, research, and policy solutions that have arisen in Scotland as a result of co-morbid substance misuse and mental health problems in treatment- and non-treatment-seeking populations. This approach also acknowledges the differences and similarities present when comparing the Scottish and national UK responses to co-morbidity. Finally, information and recommendations...

Physical health problems among patients seeking treatment for alcohol use disorders: A study in six European cities

The present study investigates physical health problems among patients with alcohol use disorders at alcohol treatment agencies in six European cities. The sample comprised 315 patients with a primary alcohol use disorder. Data were collected at admission to treatment using a structured research protocol, and ratings were made by a medically qualified physician subsequent to a physical examination of the patient. Physical...

A Survey of Psychosocial Characteristics of Homeless Families

Seeking to identify the psychosocial characteristics of homeless families, 19 mothers of 50 children ages 2-15 living in a hotel for the homeless in Birmingham, England, completed a semistructured interview, the General Health Questionnaire, & the Child Behavior Checklist within a week after admission. The majority of families (74%) had become homeless because of domestic violence. Problems found in both mothers &...

The Causes of Homelessness in Later Life: Findings From a 3-Nation Study

Homelessness is an intractable problem in many affluent countries and affects people of all ages, although much research and service provision have concentrated on young adults. Since the late 1980s, a few studies have focused on older homeless people and have found that many become homeless for the first time in later life, raising questions about why this happens, the unmet support needs of older people, and how their...

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