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With the current outrage surrounding COVID-19 worldwide, media attention has shifted away from other concerning problems in the heart of our nation, Kuala Lumpur. How does our nation plan to mitigate the rising number of homeless people and what can we do to ensure that they get the mental health attention that they need?

What is homelessness?

The National Coalition of the Homeless defines a homeless person as an individual who does not have shelter or a regular private space for sleeping, washing, and conducting their day-to-day life. A count by DBKL conducted in May 2017, identified 1037 homeless people including 15 children in 15 key hot spot zones. According to Kechara Soup Kitchen’s Justin Cheah, homeless people are victims of circumstances that got them placed on the streets. Some of them are ex-convicts who are not welcomed at home, some are victims of domestic abuse who have run away from home, some got mixed up with the wrong crowd and got into drugs, and some have mental health issues that makes it difficult for them to maintain a steady job.

Mental Health and the Homeless

In 2014, the Mental Health Foundation UK found that 80 percent of the homeless people in England self-reported that they had mental health issues, with more than half of them actually diagnosed with a condition. Studies have also shown that the homeless in the UK were more prevalent to have major depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Due to the severe lack of research done on mental health among the homeless – attributed to the general lack of mental health awareness – there are no statistics that could accurately reflect the current situation in Malaysia. The lack of local studies have caused much confusion, especially in the role and effectiveness of existing care services.

In 2016, a study undertaken to determine how health issues amongst homeless people affects their interest in a career found that there was a significant correlation between high levels of depression and anxiety with lack of career interest. This is dangerous because if it is proven that people become homeless because of lack of career aspirations due to poor mental health and lack of support, these people will be trapped in a constant loop and eventually forgotten by society. It is imperative that they are given mental health support as a crucial step towards their rehabilitation to society. 

What can we do?

Targeted prevention focused on this particular group of people is crucial. It is difficult for the homeless to access the local mental health services due to the social stigma and fear of arrest for those associated with illegal drug use. Furthermore, the utilization of health services among the homeless in Malaysia is low as they are unable to pay for it.  The first step we should take is to break the harsh stereotype. There is a perception that these people are homeless because they are lazy when in fact most of them are victims of circumstances – personal, social, or economic. Most of them work as cleaners or security guards or in restaurants but earn way below minimum wage and cannot afford the high rental prices in the city. 

At present, their daily needs are inclusive of but not limited to, food, shelter, and wellness treatment – which are all provided by non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In Malaysia, there are several NGOs who have taken it upon themselves to address this issue. For instance, the Soup Kitchen emphasizes on feeding whereas the Yayasan Kebajikan Negara (YKN) focuses on other aspects such as accommodation, medicine, and providing jobs for the homeless community. 

Despite several NGOs helping the homeless, the services offered are limited. According to Mohamad et al., the homeless population are among the group of people that are often dropped out or missed from receiving any help due to the absence of any specific guidelines or policies that specify their needs. Hence, it is essential for the government to address the underlying problem by incorporating strict enforcement and reviewing the minimum wage order and labour-related laws that leave the workers vulnerable to exploitation. 

In line with the Nation’s transition into a better health financing scheme in achieving universal coverage, it is recommended that special welfare cards – similar to the card for the disabled community – be given to the homeless to ensure that they are able to access and utilize the relevant healthcare services. Furthermore, we should improve social outreach by involving welfare workers or caseworkers to befriend and work with the homeless in order to keep track of each individual’s challenges and to better help them navigate bureaucracy and obtain the welfare services that are appropriate.

Ultimately, the problem of homelessness is very difficult to prevent completely but it can be reduced with the correct efforts. We need more individuals with great political will and passion towards helping one another to work together and volunteer in proper programs in order to get the homeless people off the streets, one at a time, without trampling on their rights as individuals and citizens of this country. Lastly, our government should work hand in hand with the NGOs and other stakeholders to provide short and long term measures to ameliorate the problem of homelessness.