October 10: A day to connect mental health and homelessness
On October 10, we mark both World Mental Health Day and the International Day Against Homelessness. Two important causes that are often separated, despite being deeply intertwined.
Living on the street means living with insecurity, isolation, and fear. It means being exposed to constant stress that damages both the body and the mind. And when mental health starts to decline, without support or housing, ending up on the street becomes almost inevitable.
Precarity is not just a social issue — it’s a public health issue.
Homelessness and mental health: a vicious cycle
In Belgium, 1 in 3 people experiencing homelessness live with mental health issues. Among those sleeping rough, that figure climbs to over 60%.
At Street Nurses, our teams observe the same reality: nearly 70% of our patients have a mental health condition, with a quarter suffering from severe psychiatric disorders such as psychosis, schizophrenia or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Life on the street worsens existing conditions and creates new ones. Constant fear, lack of sleep, aggression, shame — these invisible traumas leave deep marks.
And the opposite is also true: suffering from a mental health disorder makes it even harder to access housing or employment, reinforcing the cycle of exclusion.
Exclusion is also a political decision
Mental health is not only a medical issue. It’s a political one. Behind individual suffering lie collective choices.
For years, public authorities have been cutting psychiatric beds, underfunding community mental health services, and closing institutions. At the same time, rent prices are skyrocketing, social services are overwhelmed, and public support is shrinking.
These policies create the conditions for homelessness. Every budget cut in housing, every reform that restricts access to benefits or care contributes to psychological distress. The street has become Brussels' biggest psychiatric hospital — without walls, beds, or doctors.
Housing is mental health care
Having a home is more than just a roof: it’s a place of safety, stability, and recovery.
Research and on-the-ground experience show that access to stable housing improves mental health, reduces crises, and enables long-term care.
“Once the stress of surviving on the street is gone, we can finally identify the underlying disorders,” explains the psychology team at Street Nurses.
Yet those in the most fragile situations often face the greatest barriers to psychiatric care. Procedures are complex, appointments inflexible, and services overwhelmed. This system doesn’t heal — it excludes.
No end to homelessness without access to mental health care
Ending homelessness is not a utopia — it’s a political choice. It requires courage and funding.
Belgium must strengthen its accessible mental health services for all, develop sustainable and affordable housing, and ensure stronger collaboration between social, medical, and housing sectors.
Because housing is care. And mental health is a right. A society that lets its most vulnerable sleep outside isn’t lacking resources — it’s lacking will.