MULTIPLE DISADVANTAGE
NO ONE LEFT BEHIND
I n 2024, 1,142 people died while experiencing homelessness – with an average age of death of 48 for men and 45 for women. This shocking statistic was highlighted in the long-awaited cross-government homelessness strategy, the National plan to end homelessness, which was published late last year.
The strategy stresses the importance of prevention and cross-departmental working to effectively tackle homelessness, as well as highlighting the causes of homelessness. These include drug dependency – the document states that 84 per cent of women and 65 per cent of men who have slept rough within the last year had complex support needs including substance use problems, mental health issues, domestic abuse and interaction with the criminal justice system.
A genuinely holistic approach is vital when supporting people experiencing homelessness and co-occurring mental health and substance issues, says Helen Munro
The Department of Health and Social Care( DHSC) has also published a co-occurring mental health and substance use delivery framework, which points out that 74 per cent of people starting drug and alcohol treatment also had a mental health treatment need. The report states that‘ mental health needs, including trauma, and substance use problems are not [ currently ] addressed together by drug and alcohol and mental health services. This makes people feel that they need to fit the service, rather than services meeting people’ s needs.' According to DHSC, treatment for co-occurring mental health conditions is associated with better retention and engagement in services and, ultimately, better outcomes.
TRAUMA-INFORMED At Changing Futures Surrey, the Bridge the Gap programme takes a trauma-informed approach to supporting people with multiple disadvantage. It works with clients who can slip through the cracks of systems, and have often been referred multiple times to services they can never engage with successfully because the barriers are just too much for them. Taking more of a psychological approach, building meaningful relationships and collaborating with other agencies brings a sense of purpose, insight and the potential for change.
Bridge the Gap works alongside VCSE( voluntary, community and social enterprise) partners, providing traumainformed support to individuals with complex co-occurring needs. Its outreach workers are clinically supervised by a psychologist and have been rigorously upskilled to provide specialist interventions to support people experiencing combinations of mental health challenges, substance use, homelessness and domestic
COLLABORATION The report sets out the need for collaboration across agencies, and highlights the work done through Changing Futures in providing flexible, person-centred support and coordinated specialist services to help with chronic cooccurring needs.
The Changing Futures Bridge the Gap team were recently awarded the people’ s choice award at the council’ s Stars in Surrey awards.
18 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • FEBRUARY 2026 WWW. DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS. COM