The Prince of Wales launches new national homelessness campaign from Lambeth mental health service
The Prince of Wales has today launched a new homelessness project alongside The Royal Foundation at an event in Lambeth, south London.
Prince William kickstarted his five-year campaign, Homewards, at the Mosaic Clubhouse in Lambeth. He met with people with lived experience of homelessness to hear how the Mosaic Clubhouse has supported them.
Mosaic Clubhouse is a charity supported by the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust that provides opportunities for people experiencing mental health issues to regain the confidence and skills necessary to lead productive and satisfying lives.
Prince William’s Homewards project shines a light on the importance of mental health interventions in homelessness prevention.
The link between mental ill-health and homelessness is addressed by the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust’s START Homeless Outreach team.
The team receives referrals from day centres, GP surgeries and elsewhere about people who are rough sleeping and suspected to have significant mental health problems.
The team delivers integrated care and first focuses on building relationships with people who often fall through the gaps of services. Initial contact is about building trust and addressing immediate need, such as offering something to eat or a sleeping bag.
The START team will then offer ongoing care and treatment, psychological, medication and social support until the service user has recovered to a point where mainstream community care is suitable, including neighbourhood mental health teams, primary care and the voluntary sector to support them in their journey.
The Prince’s five-year project is launching in six pilot locations across the UK and will work to address the root causes of homelessness.
David Bradley, Chief Executive of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“We are really pleased that the Prince of Wales has chosen to shine a light on the importance of mental health interventions in homelessness prevention as part of his Homewards campaign.
Our teams know that mental ill-health and homelessness frequently go hand in hand. That’s why our START Homeless Outreach team work closely with rough sleepers to build trust and refer them on to mental health services like the Mosaic Clubhouse where they can access support to move forward with their lives.”
