Explains how housing and mental health can affect each other. Provides tips for coping and where to find support, and information on your legal rights.
View this information as a PDF (new window)
Housing and mental health are often linked. Poor mental health can make it harder to cope with housing problems. And being homeless or having problems where you live can make your mental health worse.
Housing problems can affect our mental health in many different ways. But there are some common mental health problems that you may experience if you are struggling with your housing:
Our pages on types of mental health problems have more information about different mental health problems and experiences, and how to get help.
“Living on the streets made my condition even harder to deal with, and my condition made living on the streets harder, too.”
There may be housing-related problems which are difficult to cope with if you are struggling with your mental health. For example:
Watch Billy, Lucie, Lucy and Miles share their experiences of how their living situations and mental health problems affect each other.
There are lots of ways to find support if you are experiencing mental health problems:
Mind also offers lots of different ways to get support for your mental health:
“When I'm depressed I struggle with the upkeep of the house. I can't keep it clean, and landlords don't like that.”
Anyone can register with a GP to receive treatment and support for their health. You do not need to have a fixed address. But it can still feel more difficult to register if you are homeless. This information may help:
Homelessness day centres may be also able to help you access healthcare services. Some centres may arrange for you to talk to a doctor or nurse at the centre. The charity Homeless Link has a directory of homelessness services in England, including day centres.
If you are struggling with your mental wellbeing, there are many things you can try to help yourself. You might find it useful to explore our pages on:
This information was published in October 2021. We will revise it in 2024.
References and bibliography available on request.
If you want to reproduce this content, see our permissions and licensing page.