People with lived experience of homelessness are “missing out on the care they need and deserve because of a lack of specialist provision” say St Mungo’s.

According to a new report – entitled Life changing care: The role, gaps and solutions in providing social care to people experiencing homelessness – identifies that there are many people in care services who require some level of care input, and some whose additional care requirements are not being fully met.

These include people requiring support with dementia (5%), people with self-neglect/self-care issues (12%) and people with deteriorating health (29%).

The main barriers to accessing appropriate and timely care were identified as:

• A very limited supply of specialist care homes which can cater for the unique needs of people with complex care requirements resulting from their experience of homelessness
• Challenges in seeking and securing a Care Act assessment, which is the process by which people’s care needs are identified and addressed, and the
• Capacity and efficacy of adult social care provision in some areas to meet those needs.

St Mungo’s Interim Chief Executive Rebecca Sycamore said: “Health and homelessness are inextricably linked. It is a fact that people who have lived on the streets have significantly higher medical and care needs, and we know that the legacy of poor health resulting from sleeping rough can last a lifetime.

“As a result specialised accommodation, designed to meet both a person’s housing and care needs, is required but is currently sadly lacking.

“People with lived experience of homelessness should receive parity of provision, and not miss out because of lack of access. Everyone deserves to live with dignity and care.”

Michelle Binfield, Rough Sleeping Programme Director, London Councils, said: “As co-chair of the London Life Off the Streets partnership, I know first-hand the great work that London local authorities are doing to tackle rough sleeping, with a real focus on helping those with complex health and care needs sustain a life away from the streets.

“The challenges we face are immense – resources are stretched and demand for services is growing – but we are grateful to be able to work with partners like St Mungo’s, and social care teams across London, to better understand and respond to the care needs of homeless people.”

Care services can be defined as those able to carry out activities including administration of medicines and the delivery of personal care – and are regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

People who have experienced homelessness often have multiple and complex health conditions, which can result in their care needs being much higher and more prevalent at an earlier age, than the general population.

The charity’s review, which was carried out in partnership with the Co-Clinical Lead of the Homeless Health Programme at Healthy London Partnership Dr Caroline Shulman, collates data from 31 of its non-CQC registered services and reflects the needs of 1,442 clients.