Care provider's experiences on working with homeless persons with mental illness in institutions: A qualitative study

Homelessness embodies a prevalent societal issue that results in extensive socio-economic ramifications. Residential rehabilitation establishments, including shelters and mental health facilities, offer essential assistance to individuals with insecure housing situations. The healthcare providers within these facilities struggle to effectively tackle the underlying issues faced by homeless individuals, often due to a variety of socio-economic factors.

The study evaluates the mental health knowledge, practices, attitudes, and training needs of the care providers in the rehabilitation centres for homeless persons with mental illness.

A qualitative exploratory research design using FGDs with care providers and expert interviews. Purposive sampling has been used to recruit care providers and experts. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data obtained.

The major themes emerged out of thematic analysis were characteristics and needs of the homeless persons with mental illness admitted to the institution, concerns of care providers on the services they offer, barriers and challenges in healthcare extended in institutions, diverse rehabilitation needs of the homeless population, training needs of the care providers including mental health knowledge, preparedness to work with homeless population, managing support needs of the homeless population, and the skills in empowering the homeless persons with mental illness.

The findings emphasize the importance of proficient healthcare providers in aiding and enhancing the rehabilitation of homeless individuals suffering from mental disorders within institutional settings. There is an urgent need to strengthen the economic and social resources in institutions to create a more inclusive environment for the homeless population.