Rough sleeper gives birth to twins outside wealthiest Cambridge college

The NHS does still manage some psychiatric beds, but it depends on the local CCG. Residential care for learning disabilities is the responsibility of local authorities, who just can't cope financially. I agree with you that there are serious concerns about the private providers. There is also a chronic shortage of staff because psychiatry is seen as a Cinderella service.

Apparently, approximately 20% of those seeking psychiatric treatment, even for serious conditions such as psychosis, choose private treatment at great cost, so there's a two tier system. If you're fortunate enough to have family or friends who can pay (or you can pay yourself), you're likely to be treated quickly. If not, there are waiting lists lasting months, especially for children and young people. Sadly, some people don't make it to treatment.

There is some evidence that a mainly community-based service (with some use of inpatient care) is more effective (I posted a couple of links yesterday), but it can't be done on the cheap and it needs to be well-integrated with education providers, social services, job opportunities, housing, etc etc.

If out of those people presenting with any health or social issue one-third could be identified as having something in common (such as a history of mental illness), it would be considered significant.

It is true that confusion may arise as to whether some people develop mental health problems due to the practical pressures (such as income, housing, ) they are experiencing or have experienced. Also, many people have experienced family and relationship problems that can cause anxiety and depression and possibly lead to dependency issues. The reduction in community mental health workers, addiction specialists, etc) means problems escalate and mental health deteriorates.

Given that it is highly unlikely, especially with this government, that income and housing problems will disappear in the near future, it is just a fact that, whatever the origins of homelessness - pre-existing mental health issues or issues, such as lack of adequate personal income and public resources, relationship breakdown, etc, which cause emotional distress and an inability to function - a safe place only seems to become available when people are at crisis point and in danger of hurting other people or themselves.

I agree with you growstuff that not everybody who worked in the large psychiatric and learning disability hospitals were well educated and qualified - and certainly some were unsuitable for the work they were doing - but there were also some very good and committed staff. Hospitals also had a full range of facilities - clinical psychologists, path labs, on-site psychiatrists, ECG departments, canteens, entertainment and outdoor spaces, laundries, etc, etc.

However, now that this type of care appears to have been largely out sourced to private providers, the primary motive is to make money - and, in order to maximise profits, that often means reducing qualified staff and training and no on- site access to professional staff and to various facilities. If profits are no longer deemed sufficient, private providers just pull out, citing an inability to run the service within the budget specified.

Fair enough, Iam64.

My opinion stands, tho.
Plenty of people, at the time, pointed out what was wrong with it, including organisations representing people with disabilities and other claimants.

FarNorth - forgive me, they're my words, ie evil. I heard Jo Swinson apologise during the campaign. After the coalition, when the Libs voted with Labour against the tax, their explanation for supporting it during the coalition was that they now realised how bad it was
Again - my words, sorry I should have googled exact words but I'm watching tv and will turn off now.
I do know that their stand on the bedroom tax meant I couldn't vote for them despite my concerns about Corbyn.

The Liberal line that they only realised after they came out of coalition that it was evil just won't wash.

Is that really what the LibDems say about their voting for the bedroom tax?
If so, they are clearly unfit for office if they can't understand the consequences of the decisions being made.

A few miles away from my home in France there is a autonomous town which started life as a place for those wounded in WW1 and those with lung diseases. The modern town was built in the early 30s and comprises a large building of 200 rooms, originally meant for tb sufferers. There are also 340 homes where sick people and their families could live. There is a hospital, school, nursery. some commerce, a cinema and a restaurant.

During the late 30's and early 40's it was used also for wounded from the Spanish Civil War.

Now there are two large plant nurseries, one where permanent residents work and a second which is used to retrain people who because of an accident are unable to continue with their original employment. There is also a business making garden furniture and gazebos. The permanent residents have some sort of handicap that would make it difficult to live in the general community.

The town is set in the beautiful countryside and it can be seen from miles around . It has a look of Hollywood about it.

I have given this long description because I think it has the best of both worlds. The inhabitants are safe but they meet the community at large at the nurseries where they work, the cinema etc etc.

I don't know whether the UK had such communities. A review by the then head of RADAR in 2010 concluded that it was better that people would be better off working in the community rather than in factories for the disabled, such as Remploy. As we now know, the support made available was insufficient and many fell by the wayside.

Thanks Bridgeit and GGm3 for the clarification.
I absolutely agree that the cuts to all services, especially NHS, housing, drug/alcohol treatment units etc are absolutely involved in the growing problem of homeless people.

I can't get beyond we've had 9 years now of conservative government yet Johnson is talking about x number of nurses, 20,000 new police officers as though somehow their absence is nothing to do with him or his party.

I know I keep reverting to this but - the bedroom tax is a terrible thing. I suspect it cost Jo Swinson many votes. The Liberal line that they only realised after they came out of coalition that it was evil just won't wash.

I do hope this young mother and her very premature twins are warm, safe and being cared for right now.

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, anything by Dickens, any prints by Hogarth - that's where we are. Yes I do know that the "real poverty" in those days was slightly different than what we have today. My own ancestors were in and out the work house till the Industrial Revolution ensured they had regular work in the mills and mines. "real poverty" today is just as real. We have children going to school who had nothing to eat since their school dinner the previous day. That's real poverty. I don't care if people blame their 'feckless' parents. What matters is that the services we used to have, to help those children and their families, no longer exist.

I didn't think you were "sanity-washing" growstuff.

Annie seemed as intent as her friend yesterday to put "anyone" under the mental health banner which, it seems, lets all governments off the hook re the growing numbers of homeless, after all, we could go back to putting people into institutions and then the homeless problem would disappear or something along those lines.

It's exactly the same straw-man argument being repeated. I don't get why they think it is any better because it was Thatcher who did much to bring in underfunded care in the community.

As for the care of people with mental illness rather than what is lumped together as mental health issues that too has been hit by the cuts to the NHS although it was always the poor cousin of the physical health side. The level of job-crafting that must be going on will mean people fall through the cracks eventually.

Bridgit I did. You got it right on the head.

I think GG means whitewashing / covering up a topic ,as in playing down the situation/ problem

What does "sanity washing" mean?

I agree growstuff mental health problems is a very large umbrella. We don’t speak of physical health problems , we speak of arthritis, diabetes, asthma etc.

Have you ever worked with homeless people GracesGran?

I'm not "sanity-washing" any problem. I know for a fact that poor mental health is a risk factor for homelessness, as are other factors, such as coming from an abusive home, not having close family, etc etc.

All of the issues need to be addressed. In the case of mental health, there need to be employment opportunities, less stigmatising by the general public, better community services, more in-patient beds for those who need them, better treatment of substance abuse and a whole range of other things.

Thanks growstuff, a complex problem. The very word " homeless" makes me sick actually. How on earth have we come to this?

Yes, there is research, but it's difficult to be accurate. About a third of people living on the streets have had previous contact with mental health services. However, there is no research on the "hidden homeless", who are living in unsuitable accommodation or "sofa surfing".

I agree with you that living on the streets is likely to increase or trigger mental health issues. People living on the streets are also more likely to turn to alcohol or drug abuse (even if it wasn't a problem before), as a short term fix to help them cope with their problems.

I think we need to be careful with the definition of mental health. Living on the streets is likely to make anybody depressed, but I think the definition used is for people with psychotic and/or bipolar disorders, etc.

Sorry am I missing something, ,how do we know that a third of homeless people have MH issues? Is there some research.

If you start off " well" I should think after 2 or 3 days on the streets you would be exhibiting MH problems?

I refuse to continue with the sanity-washing of the problem. If a third have mental health issues how many are simply deeply depressed by the situation they are in?

They are homeless. They have no decent, stable home. That is the problem. Salving consciences by lumping them together as insane really won't help anyone but the person doing it.

Yes Annie, just that. You are failing the majority by pointing that out. I wonder what your drug of choice would be if you found yourself living on the streets. How would you numb the helplessness you feel?

I seem to remember one of the Scottish cities doing just this. They built prefabs (as I notice are a lot of councils). The single homeless were offered this small home; one room in the middle, a kitchen and bathroom at one end and a bedroom at the other - and their own front door key. That meant those working with them could get further faster. I imagine it failed at times but on the whole, it seemed very successful.

Get a homeless family into a slightly bigger version of this and you would prevent many of the issues caused by the chaotic life created by the current system.

Thank you growstuff .

A third have mental health issues, what of the rest

There is no reason to think it should be any different really, is there growstuff. There seems to be a lot of conscience-salving when people hone in on one aspect they see as out of their control.

A proportion, similar to the general population as your article says, will already be dealing with mental health issues but they may be dealing with other issues too. The question then is how and why did they slip through the net for so long they lose their home, etc. The stress of other issues such as the quoted insufficient income, unemployment and/or lack of suitable housing can only make things worse.

The onset of difficulties caused by the stress of dealing with a person unfriendly system and actual homelessness can be lifted by having a person-friendly system and a home.

We also now know that an altered immune system - quite possible once homeless I would think - can affect mood disorders but then the lack of a proper home, food, routine and medical attention needs to be tackled, not the person written-off as less than sane!

Many of the problems would never arise if we hadn't had so many cuts. The number of mental health nurses and the frequency of their visits were cut years ago when unnecessary austerity was used as a tool to cut spending on our services.

However, it is certainly true that with a bit of a helping hand most people need not suffer in this way. What we are up against is the section of the population who believe we get what we deserve in life (as long as they are okay) some even going as far as believing it is bred into us that we will succeed or fail - I believe Johnson to have said things in the past that indicate he is one of these. What that bodes for the future, I have no idea but such thinking tends to lead to seeing "help" as charity not a right.

Anniebach Treatment or housing first is addressed in the link to the Crisis report (see above).

Thank you for the link inkycog,

Sounds good but secure homes first ,Drug addicts, alcoholics
housed in permanent accommodation before treatment ?

www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jun/03/its-a-miracle-helsinkis-radical-solution-to-homelessness

Oops! Typo …

Mental health is, in some cases, a contributory factor to homelessness.

This a review of the available literature on homelessness and mental illness by "Crisis":

www.crisis.org.uk/media/20611/crisis_mental_ill_health_2009.pdf

A couple of quotes:

"There is some evidence to suggest that the reasons for homelessness amongst the mentally ill are similar to other groups of homeless people – at least in the USA. Nearly 3000 individuals were asked about the reasons for their most recent loss of housing. Most in both the mental illness group and others reported that this related to insufficient income, unemployment and/or lack of suitable housing (Mojabai 2005)."

" UK studies suggest that those with serious mental illness who become homeless are not ex-patients from the large institutions that closed, rather they are a younger group of service users. Their presence in the homeless population may reflect the inadequacy of community-based mental health services to provide for a sub-section of the psychiatric population with complex needs (Craig & Timms 1992; Leff 1993)."

It's suggested that about a third of those living on the streets have mental health issues (not the majority). There is no data on the "hidden homeless". Homelessness is, in some cases, a contributory factor to homelessness. Homelessness also exacerbates or triggers mental health issues.

A huge issue is the lack of resources in community psychiatric services and a lack of integration with housing provision where it's needed.

Provision for treating mental health issues shouldn't be based on ideologies, but on what produces the best outcomes.

Which method is right? There are obviously faults with both ideologies.

That's the point, isn't it. One size never fits all and we have moved from a time when people thought it acceptable to try. We are changing too slowly in so many areas and how did we allow "paperwork" and the collection of meaningless or unused data to absorb our budgets of time and money.

We seem to have moved onto just mental health but the issues of homelessness are not just because of this. For some, living on the streets is the most sane choice they have of those available. Our shame, and our so called leaders shame, should be in the lack of some of the simplest solutions and the unacceptability of many that are on offer.