Embedding health and wellbeing opportunities for people experiencing homelessness in a wider support system

Introduction
Homelessness impacts negatively on health, wellbeing and life expectancy. People experiencing homelessness are likely to suffer physical and mental health problems, be heavy users of emergency services, and die 30 years earlier than the general population.1–3 Their severe and multiple disadvantages raise personal and institutional barriers to using health, social and housing services.4
In late 2021, a grass-roots initiative in Plymouth began offering a Saturday morning drop-in service for rough sleepers and those in emergency accommodation. The service responded to the bleakness, loneliness and lack of support imposed by Monday-Friday service patterns. This effort was strengthened in February 2022 by a six month Plymouth University grant that enabled partners with extensive experience in the homelessness sector to collaborate with health and wellbeing practitioners in a project aiming to:
i. Meet basic human needs for nutrition, personal hygiene and connectedness.
ii. Offer weekly engagement opportunities with activities supporting health/wellbeing, recovery and personal development.
iii. Provide data to evidence client needs and improve engagement with health/wellbeing opportunities.