The Role of Mental Health in Homelessness: Breaking the Cycle
Mental health plays a crucial role in any society or life of ours, but it plays an even more important role when we look at homelessness, acting both as a cause and consequence. As understanding this relationship is essential for developing effective interventions and support systems, let’s explore how mental health affects homelessness and how we can make changes.
Mental Health as a Cause of Homelessness
Mental health issues are significant factors leading to homelessness. Indeed, Statistics Canada reported that Canadians who have experienced any form of homelessness were more likely to report fair or poor mental health, which is 38.0% than the overall population of 17.3% (Statistics Canada, 2023). Conditions such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder can impair individuals' ability to maintain stable housing, manage daily activities, sustain employment, and maintain social relationships, which can result in losing a home.
The Impact of Homelessness on Mental Health
Homelessness itself severely impacts mental health. The stress of living without stable housing, constant uncertainty, and exposure to traumatic events can worsen existing mental health conditions or lead to new ones. Chronic stress, anxiety, and depression are common, exacerbated by the daily challenges of finding food, shelter, and safety. The lack of affordable housing makes it difficult for anyone to have stability in their lives, but it hits harder people who come to the edge of losing their house.
Actions to Support Changes
Support Housing Initiatives: Get involved in local housing projects or initiatives that aim to provide stable housing for homeless individuals. This can include fundraising, volunteering, or simply spreading the word.
Participate in Community Events: Join or organize community events aimed at supporting mental health awareness. World Mental Health Day on October 10th would be a great occasion, but there are a variety of events you can join such as Defeat Depression Walks and Runs.
Offer Professional Skills: If you have skills in mental health, legal services, or social work, consider offering your expertise pro bono to help those in need navigate their challenges.
Be Compassionate and Inclusive: You do not need to start big, but you can try to treat homeless individuals with respect and kindness. Small acts of empathy can significantly impact someone's mental well-being.
Mental health and homelessness are deeply interconnected. By implementing integrated support services, we can address this issue more effectively. At Alive House, our ultimate goal is to provide resources and support to help all individuals overcome these challenges and rebuild their lives to end homelessness in Canada. Now to start, we focus on supporting vulnerable communities including refugees, international students, and newcomers.
All individual actions matter as even small changes would have a huge impact when all of us head in the same direction and support each other. Follow Alive House to learn more about homelessness and take action in your daily life.
Written by Akari Yanagisawa