Cork Simon's survey shows that homeless people need more than just houses – they need tailored health programmes, services and support, writes BRIAN O'CONNELL
A NEW survey on Cork’s homeless population paints a stark picture of that community’s physical and mental health needs.
Two-thirds of respondents to the survey had a mental health condition, while 83 per cent had used alcohol and 45 per cent used drugs.
Most common illnesses included cuts or injuries, as well as heart and respiratory problems or underlying mental health issues, while problems with alcohol and drug use also featured strongly.
The report, entitled Homelessness Makes You Sick, will be presented today at a half-day seminar as part of Cork's Simon Week.
The study was conducted among 188 people using Cork Simon projects and services during the last week of July.
“We know that homeless people are very sick,” said Dr Austin O’Carroll, chairman of Safetynet, an organisation of personnel providing frontline care to homeless people, in response to the survey.
“What this report does is that it outlines a coherent picture, and it ties a lot of information together and links it into other services. The incidences of both HIV and hepatitis C in the homeless community is far higher than the general population, while the results show that one in two homeless persons suffers from depression.”
The study highlights the impact properly trained multi-disciplinary teams and specialised units can have on improving the health of the city’s homeless population.
The results illustrate the complexities involved in addressing the health needs of homeless people and how those needs can best be met.
The report’s findings underline the need for tailored health services. This is supported by the fact that homeless persons accommodated in high-support housing units had some of the lowest incidence of drug use and undiagnosed conditions among the 188 respondents.
The rate of health referrals among this group was also by far the highest, suggesting that people in appropriate housing have a better opportunity to begin addressing their health issues over the longer term.
Those who were long-term homeless presented some of the most challenging results, with one in four of them having been admitted to AE, and more than three-quarters of this group presenting challenging behaviour.
Dr O’Carroll said the results proved that tailored health programmes and services were the best way to meet the needs of the homeless community. More doctors and nurses assigned to hostels and providing services in homeless centres could be far more effective in treating the population.
“It has been shown internationally that homeless persons are uncomfortable going to GP surgeries,” he said.
“They find waiting rooms difficult and are poor at keeping appointments. A lot of them don’t use mainstream services. Even though all are entitled to medical cards, previous surveys found that almost half of them didn’t have one.
“Therefore, we believe, and this report confirms it, that the best way to address their health issues is to bring the services needed to where the homeless persons are.”
According to Colette Kelleher, director of Cork Simon Community, the report findings are “staggering”, and highlight the need for continued investment in high levels of care for the homeless community.
In recent months, the public debate – particularly in light of the increased number of ghost estates nationally – has tended to focus on physical homes for that community. Yet that in itself addresses only one aspect of the needs of the homeless population.
“I think that housing is a big part of homelessness, but it is by no means the full story,” she said. “People who are homeless are very sick and often with a combination of two or more health problems. Health is a significant factor in homelessness, and people need high levels of care in overcoming and managing their health.”
The aim of the report is to make the public aware of what the Simon Community in Cork is witnessing on a daily basis.
“The people we work with have a lot of challenges and unless we embrace the fact that this is a multi-faceted problem, then we will not make the progress for people,” Ms Kelleher said.
“We are talking about a specialised dedicated health service for homeless people. “I would be concerned if funding for that would be cut because, as this report makes clear, it really does work.”
Simon Week continues until October 10th. Full details on corksimon.ie
The average age of those surveyed was
43
The youngest was
19
and the oldest was
70
Two-thirds of those surveyed had an underlying mental health condition. The most common being depression, schizophrenia and bipolar depression
13%
had self-harmed while
8%
had attempted suicide in the previous six months
27%
had problem alcohol use, while
26%
used two or more drugs