Charity seeks views on mental health and homelessness

St Mungo's, the homelessness charity said the proportion of homeless people with mental health problems remained "static", at around a third, despite a reduction in the total number of homeless in the past decade.

It also warned the government could fail to hit its target for there to be no rough sleepers by 2012 if it did not focus more on the link between mental health and homelessness.

St Mungo's has already received evidence from local authorities, the NHS, housing authorities and voluntary organisations, after launching the call for evidence in April.

Next month, during its 40th anniversary, St Mungo's will launch a peer research project with homeless people interviewing each other about mental health and homelessness.

St Mungo's is focusing on three main topics for its report: causes of homelessness among people with mental health problems; how to prevent or resolve these cases; and examples of best practice.

Chief executive Charles Fraser said: "We know the experience of many homeless people with mental illness is characterised by a vicious circle, where this group avoids services and many mainstream services avoid this group.

"To break the cycle we need to develop our understanding of the problem by broadening the evidence base, to share a wider understanding of what works for this group and what doesn't, and to engage further with partners in the successful design and delivery of accessible and effective services."

The submission deadline is 10 June.

www.mungos.org/call4evidence