At 蜜桃视频鈥檚, we have long understood the link between homelessness and mental health, and that听one of the most significant barriers our clients face in moving on with their lives is past and sometimes recurring trauma.听
Yesterday (21 May), we ran a听panel听event听entitled听Navigating Vulnerability: Mental Health, Risk and Homelessness,听chaired by听the acclaimed journalist and mental health campaigner听Alastair Campbell,听introduced by 蜜桃视频鈥檚 CEO, Emma Haddad听and hosted by our partners at Cushman & Wakefield.听
The panel included:听Kathleen Dolby, Regional Head for North London and Care Services听at 蜜桃视频鈥檚;听Danny Beales, Labour MP for听Uxbridge听and South Ruislip; Dee O鈥機onnell, Director of Policy and Programmes, Pathway; and Chris Dzikiti, Interim Chief Inspector of Mental Health at the Care Quality Commission.听听听
The discussion explored听how mental health challenges can increase vulnerability to homelessness, and how听the experience听itself can intensify mental health needs. The panel also discussed听where earlier action听can reduce harm, and听the necessity of听sustained听mental health听support听for people experiencing homelessness.听听
Journalist and mental health campaigner, Alastair Campbell, said:听
鈥淩ight听now听we听really听do need to talk about [the connection between mental health and homelessness] because I think it’s an issue that demands attention and it’s also an issue that resists easy answers.鈥�听
蜜桃视频鈥檚 CEO, Emma Haddad, said:听
鈥淎t 蜜桃视频’s, we see听on a daily basis听the interconnection between homelessness and mental health specifically. They are mutually reinforcing and often reinforce a downward spiral when the two interconnect.鈥�听
Regional Head for North London and Care Services at 蜜桃视频鈥檚, Kathleen Dolby, said:听
鈥淩ecognising that a trauma-informed听approach听and听getting people off to the best start after a step back is crucial.鈥�听
Interim Chief Inspector of Mental Health at the Care Quality听Commission, Chris Dzikiti, said:听
鈥淲orking together as a system and integrating services, [that is when] you’ll most likely make a big difference in people’s lives.鈥�听
Director of Policy and听Programmes at Pathway, Dee O鈥機onnell, said:听
鈥淲rapping holistic support around a person in a way that meets them where they are and makes it easy for them to access and provides everything they need in a seamless way, is the thing that we know makes a difference.鈥�听
Labour听MP for听Uxbridge听and South Ruislip, Danny Beales, said:听
鈥淲hat we need locally is the public, private, and the voluntary sector to work together to solve homelessness and mental health issues.鈥�听
The reality听is听that mental health is both a driver and a consequence of homelessness. Policy and practice听must听respond to this听two听way听relationship, including where prevention and early intervention can reduce harm.听听
We would like to offer our sincere thanks to Alastair Campbell,听Kathleen Dolby, Danny Beales MP, Dee听O鈥機onnell听and Chris Dzitkiti听for their insights, and to Cushman & Wakefield for welcoming us to their London offices once again.听听