One of our companions, Mahesh, recently contributed to The Pavement magazine by writing his own article. The Pavement is a homelessness charity founded in 2005 who produce their own publication. The Pavement reports on news relevant to the homeless sector, its changes and developments and bringing light to important information related to homelessness issues.
We spoke with Mahesh to have a more in-depth discussion about the article, the context its written in and the importance of the subject matter. Mahesh chose to write about the current state of healthcare within the homeless sector, its accessibility and if there are any improvements which can be made.
Talking about why he chose healthcare accessibility Mahesh said:
“I wanted to write something which had an impact. This is something I am passionate about.”
Mahesh based the article on his own personal experiences. He had required healthcare during his time rough sleeping and felt as if his medical needs were not considered and that there was limited help available.
“I don’t think I was approached during my time rough sleeping. Nobody asked, ‘can we help you?’.
Mahesh acknowledges that whilst the wellbeing of homeless people is not entirely ignored, the services available to them can still be improved.
As it stands the current system in place makes it difficult for most homeless people to access healthcare. There are multiple factors that contribute to this. Firstly, for a lot of people rough sleeping it is not clear what their options actually are when it comes to healthcare. They don’t know where to look or what help they can access. Other factors such as a lack of motivation to seek out healthcare, or poor mental and/or psychical health, contribute to this.
Unfortunately, being unable or unwilling to get help results in the condition of homeless people worsening. Mahesh did note that there have been noticeable improvements in the sector since he had last used it however.
“Now we have outreach centres and other organisations in the sector who can provide help. 10 years ago, that didn’t exist, or if it did it wasn’t nearly as good as it is now”
Mahesh has also discussed the subject of healthcare on the ‘Listen up! Podcast’. Similar to his article for The Pavement, Mahesh wanted to use this platform to make a positive impact, and bring attention to a subject he is passionate about. He details his past experiences with addiction, accessing healthcare and recovery.
You can listen to it here.
If you are interested in reading for yourself what Mahesh has to say you can read The Pavement Magazine online. His article should be featured in the upcoming March issue.
If you ever come across a rough sleeper who is in need of medical assistance, we strongly urge you to contact StreetLink. They will contact local services who will be able to provide further assistance. You can find their contact information below.
Website: www.streetlink.com
Phone: 0300 500 0914