When the Mind Has No Home: Homelessness and Mental Health

When the Mind Has No Home: Homelessness and Mental Health

By Abigail Tadesse

Remember my affliction and roaming,
The wormwood and the gall.
My soul still remembers
And sinks within me.
This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.

~Lamentations 3:19-23

Every Tuesday, I help serve hot meals and beverages as part of Coptic City Mission. It’s become a part of my week; the familiar faces, the conversations, the moments when someone just needs to be seen. But over time, I’ve realised that homelessness is not only a crisis of housing or hunger. It’s also a crisis of the mind.

The Desperation of Survival

One gentleman I met told me about his tremors. His pain was visible. Shaking, as he held his cup of soup in his hand, he told me that he would often drink alcohol to get himself to sleep. “I drink because it’s the only way I can actually sleep in this cold,” he said.

This man was not just an “alcoholic.” He was a person trapped in a cycle of survival, pain, and shame. So much stigma surrounds drugs and alcohol. But some people use them because it’s the only way they can get through the night — to stay warm, to forget, to feel human for a few hours. It’s not a solution, but in that moment, it’s the only comfort they have.

The Weight of Stigma

People often say, “They did this to themselves.” But what I witness every week tells a different story. For many, their mental health struggles began to crumble before they lost their home. Their conditions were left unnoticed or misunderstood, which eventually led them to a place where they couldn’t hold on to their jobs, relationships, or housing. And once they were on the streets, everything worsened and the constant stress and danger only made things worse. A vicious cycle.

Furthermore, the drugs and alcohol that people often associate with homelessness are not just bad choices or habits; for many, they are the only way to cope with the brutal realities of living unhoused.

Addressing The Issue

The intersection of homelessness and mental health is too often overlooked. Yet it’s clear that you can’t truly help one without addressing the other. People need more than just a roof over their heads — they need understanding, compassion, and consistent access to mental health care. Real change comes from programmes that are willing to integrate housing with mental health support, and from communities willing to extend empathy instead of judgment.

Faith reminds us that every person is made in the image of God. We are called to help one another. And what I’ve learned is that it starts with listening to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our friends, that we serve, want to know that someone cares, that they are not invisible. These individuals are not defined by their struggles: they are resilient people with stories, pain, and hopes for a better future.

Everyone deserves safety — both outside and inside their own mind.