Homeless patients: challenges and barriers
Six months after the passing of our dear colleague Pierre (✝23-03-2025), we share one of his many reflections as a tribute. At the heart of Street Nurses’ work, Pierre embodied both professional dedication and deep humanity. His words still resonate within us.
Difficult patients or a failing system?
Our patients are not “easy cases”. Often unclean and with strong odours, frequently under the influence of alcohol or other substances, rude, even aggressive at times, missing appointments, avoiding or pushing us away, losing documents we’ve spent time gathering — or not even noticing us, lost in their own world. In short, our meetings are far from easy.
Even though we know that positive outcomes await at the end of the journey, it can take months before the first results appear. No wonder many professionals feel discouraged.
I was surprised when a young colleague once told me that the hardest part of her job wasn’t dealing with patients — but with the system and its failures. Since then, I’ve learned that many of us feel the same way.
We’re far too often confronted with a lack of resources or spaces, which makes everything harder or even impossible. It fosters stigma and judgement, worsens care quality or accessibility, reinforces absurd and exclusionary rules, and prolongs sluggish administrative processes.
The strength of committed care professionals
Thankfully, we also regularly encounter professionals who are passionate, skilled, patient and motivated — people who keep things moving and help us not to lose hope.
This collective energy mirrored Pierre’s deep trust in the talents already present in the field: there are truly competent and caring people in both healthcare and social sectors.
Lack of resources: a major obstacle
My conclusion? Skills, motivation and know-how are present almost everywhere — and in sufficient quantity. But budget constraints and lack of resources have become major obstacles and serious sources of discouragement, both for those who need help and for those trying to provide it.
Through his words
Through his words and his commitment, Pierre reminded us that beyond bureaucratic burdens and a flawed system, the essentials remain: human connection, patience, and belief in everyone’s dignity. His clear-sighted yet deeply compassionate view inspires us to keep fighting for a fairer, more flexible and more accessible system — one where caregivers and patients are no longer hindered, but truly supported.
Let this tribute also be a promise: to continue, together, carrying the values of dedication and humanity that guided Pierre throughout his life — to ultimately end homelessness.