[The outreach practice with homeless people suffering from severe and chronic mental illness: observations, reality...

The team working with homeless people has the mandate to favor access to care and social services for all homeless people regardless of age. It has also developed specific outreach services adapted to the reality of homelessness in Montréal. The fundamental principle underlying our practice is universality, be it access or quality of services; all citizens have the right to the same attention from the health system. It's in this perspective that services are offered to homeless people. This article is limited to one aspect of the team's work : the outreach practice with homeless people suffering from severe and chronic mental illness. The authors describe their outreach environment, their clientele and an example of outreach-llustrated with a few cases-as well as the obstacles met. Finally, the authors share their observations and suggestions.