Housing Support in mental health services transforms lives across Sussex

Monday, 10 November 2025 05:00

Hundreds of people have benefited from a Sussex Partnership NHS Trust scheme, placing housing specialists within mental health teams.

The service has supported more than 800 people at risk of homelessness, helping them access stable housing.

An evaluation found a 60 per cent drop in urgent care use among patients, showing that secure housing plays a key role in mental health recovery.

The evaluation (completed as a postgraduate study sponsored by the SPFT and the University of Stirling) identified several benefits that housing interventions can bring to people using mental health services and staff. The evaluation won the national Ben Pattison prize for it’s originality, rigour, and contribution to advancing housing scholarship.

A lifeline in practice – Shannon’s Story

For 26-year-old Shannon, the service was nothing short of life-changing.

Pregnant and facing homelessness in 2024, she was living out of bags at 37 weeks with no idea where she would go after giving birth.

“My mental health was spiralling. I felt hopeless,” she said. “I’d lost my previous flat, my mum was disabled so I couldn’t stay there, and the council just kept passing us around.”

Already supported by her local mental health team, Shannon was referred to the Perinatal Mental Health Team, who connected her with one of the Trust’s Housing Specialists.

“She went back and forth with the council so I didn’t have to,” Shannon said. “Without her, we wouldn’t have found somewhere to live. Just in time, temporary accommodation was secured. We moved in at midday, and by 9pm. I was in labour. "Finally, I had a roof over my head — a safe place to bring my baby.”

Six weeks later, Shannon and her family were offered permanent housing. “Having a home meant I could focus on my baby and my mental health. Without that support, I don’t know where we’d be. It gave us a future. It was literally a lifeline."

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