Homelessness should never be a barrier to accessing health services.
Our Homeless Health Link Service empowers people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness across South West London to gain better access to healthcare to improve their physical and mental health.
People experiencing homelessness often face multiple, complex health challenges – from chronic illnesses and untreated conditions to trauma and resulting mental health issues, which can significantly reduce their life expectancy. Through personalised support, helping people to navigate sometimes complicated systems, strong partnerships with local NHS services and upskilling professionals, we work to close the health gap and make healthcare accessible to everyone.
What we do
Our team ensures that anyone experiencing homelessness can connect with the healthcare they need – digitally or face-to-face – and understand their diagnoses, treatment and care.
We:
- Support people to register with GPs, attend appointments and manage treatment plans.
- Encourage and support people to engage with health services, often after long periods of exclusion.
- Create mutually trusting and respectful relationships, which enable our team to have frank conversations about health.
- Build digital confidence to help people access online health services.
- Educate health professionals to better understand homelessness-related barriers and respond sensitively.
- Encourage local services to work in partnership, creating a more connected system of care.
This work helps people strengthen their physical health, improve self-esteem and reduce reliance on emergency services – paving the way to long-term stability and wellbeing.
Health and Wellbeing events
Our Health and Wellbeing events bring NHS and complementary services together in a non-clinical, community setting to support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, as well as those facing social isolation.
During the events, our guests can access joined-up practical support, including advice from specialist agencies, free breakfast and lunch, haircuts and wellbeing activities.
Our next events:
| Date | Venue |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 26 November | St Peter's Church, Norbiton |
| Thursday 4 December | The Vineyard, Richmond |
Mental Health Access Project
Our dedicated Mental Health Access Project, operating in Richmond and Wandsworth, supports people experiencing homelessness with their mental health and overall wellbeing.
This project provides:
- One-to-one support for those managing anxiety, depression or trauma
- Therapeutic groups that build confidence, resilience and social connection
- Drop-in sessions and advice to navigate mental health services with support from trained staff
By improving mental wellbeing and reducing crisis interventions, the project ensures that mental health support is accessible, continuous and compassionate.
This service is made possible thanks to The Richmond Foundation, the Hampton Fund, Doughty Family Foundation, Steel Charitable Trust and MoMark Foundation.
Making a difference
Since launch, the Homeless Health Link Service has helped hundreds of people improve their health outcomes and confidence in using healthcare.
Our ongoing evaluation shows positive impact through:
- Increased access to healthcare services
- Better physical and mental wellbeing
- Greater use of preventive care instead of emergency services
- Improved awareness among healthcare professionals
Read our full evaluation reports and learn more about our measurable impact on Our Impact and Annual Accounts page.
Get involved
If you are a healthcare provider, local service partner or funder interested in learning more about our work, we’d love to hear from you.
Contact HHLS@spearlondon.org to find out how we can work together to improve health and wellbeing for those experiencing homelessness.
Our Homeless Health Link Service is kindly funded by:
