7 November 2025
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Hundreds of people have benefited from a pioneering Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT) initiative that places specialist housing officers within mental health teams. Since launching, the integrated Housing Specialist Service has supported more than 800 people facing homelessness or housing crises to navigate complex housing and health systems. A recent six-month evaluation of 69 patients found a 60% reduction in urgent care use after receiving housing interventions — clear evidence that stable housing is central to recovery and reduces system pressures across health and social care. The evaluation (completed as a postgraduate study sponsored by the SPFT and the University of Stirling) identified several benefits that housing interventions can bring to people using mental health services and staff. The evaluation won the national Ben Pattison prize for it’s originality, rigour, and contribution to advancing housing scholarship. A lifeline in practice – Shannon’s Story For 26-year-old Shannon, the service was nothing short of life-changing. Pregnant and facing homelessness in 2024, she was living out of bags at 37 weeks with no idea where she would go after giving birth. “My mental health was spiralling. I felt hopeless,” she said. “I’d lost my previous flat, my mum was disabled so I couldn’t stay there, and the council just kept passing us around.” Already supported by her local mental health team, Shannon was referred to the Perinatal Mental Health Team, who connected her with one of the Trust’s Housing Specialists. “She went back and forth with the council so I didn’t have to,” Shannon said. “Without her, we wouldn’t have found somewhere to live. Just in time, temporary accommodation was secured. We moved in at midday, and by 9pm. I was in labour. "Finally, I had a roof over my head — a safe place to bring my baby.” Six weeks later, Shannon and her family were offered permanent housing. “Having a home meant I could focus on my baby and my mental health. Without that support, I don’t know where we’d be. It gave us a future. It was literally a lifeline." Shannon’s experience captures the service’s wider impact: the right housing support at the right time prevents crisis, supports recovery and gives people hope. Embedding Housing Expertise The evaluation and insights shared in the Trust’s infographic highlight several key lessons from the service’s development:
SPFT’s Housing Team is now a trust-wide service, offering consistent, trauma-informed housing advice across all divisions. Co-located with 13 local housing authorities, the specialists ensure early identification of housing risk, improved cross-sector collaboration, and fairer access to support through a central referral and triage system — removing postcode disparities. John Child, Chief Operating Officer at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said: "By embedding housing within clinical care, we’re tackling one of the biggest social determinants of health head-on. "The success of this project is proof that health and housing services, local authorities and service users all benefit from partnership working. The results are life changing." Beyond Treatment The Housing Specialist Service demonstrates that improving mental health outcomes means looking beyond treatment alone. By addressing the social realities that shape recovery — housing insecurity, isolation, and instability — SPFT is creating a model of truly integrated, person-centred care. The results are clear: fewer crises, better recovery, and stronger collaboration between the NHS, local authorities, and communities.
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