Health
Being homeless takes its toll on a young person's physical and
mental health. They are often not registered with a doctor and
consequently have little awareness of how to live healthily. A high
number of the young people who come to us having slept rough suffer
from mental and physical health problems, or misuse drugs or
alcohol.
A Support and Development worker will work with the young person
to identify and address their personal needs, either directly or
with support from external agencies and primary health care
services. Our health team also extends to healthy living advice,
helping young people to improve their health and fitness, diet,
hygiene, sexual health, exercise and access to NHS services.
Mental health problems can be one of the factors that lead a
young person to become homeless and are eight times more likely for
people living in hostels and bed and breakfast accommodation, and
eleven times higher for those who sleep rough, compared to the
general population (Wright, 2002). We have a dedicated mental
health team to help young people affected by these issues.