The participating organizations plan to involve at least 500 homeless people with the help of more than 20 social workers in the mental health questionnaire survey. The first step of the survey was the training of the interviewers. Rough sleepers and homeless people living in shelters will be included in the research until the end of October. The project was created in the framework of broad professional collaboration.

The mental and addiction problems of people experiencing homelessness have been known for a long time, but little accurate data is available on their extent. That is the reason why the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta decided to assess the incidence, the care pathways, and the impact on the quality of life of certain psychiatric diseases in a cross-sectional study. Both homeless people living in shelters and rough sleepers are included in the research activity.

“Our main goal is to obtain a comprehensive picture of the difficulties of accessing the healthcare system for clients living with a psychiatric condition. We use standardized questionnaires to detect major disorders, while also keen to assess the attitudes and opinions regarding online telepsychiatry care. We are confident that, based on the results, we can provide better and more efficient care in an evidence-based way,“ emphasized Dr. Sándor Békási, the head of the research.

In addition to the colleagues from the institutions of the Charity Service and its partner institutions, the staff of the Health Center, the DocRoom program, the Budapest Social Professional Support Network (BUSZSZH), and the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of Semmelweis University take part in the program.