Integrating homeless persons with mental health conditions back into low resource communities: A cross-sectional study

Homeless mentally ill persons remain a visible public health problem across Ghana. This study describes a reintegration intervention that identifies homeless persons with mental health conditions from the streets, provides comprehensive physical and mental healthcare, traces and reunites them to their families, links them to livelihoods and community mental-health services, and conducts routine follow-up calls. Data for this study were obtained from records review. Since the project began in 2016, 81 beneficiaries (53 females, 28 males) had been enrolled by 31 December 2024, with street exposure ranging from 11 days to 17 years; 28.4% had a history of psychoactive substance use, 66.7% had prior psychiatric care, and 91.4% were diagnosed with schizophrenia. At data compilation 29.6% remained on admission and 60.5% (49 people) had been repatriated, most after 1-3 months. Total expenditure for all 81 beneficiaries was GHS 2,835,365.30 (USD 190,933.69); spending on the 49 repatriated beneficiaries totalled GHS 1,635,620.00 (USD 110,143), averaging GHS 33,380 (USD 2,248) per person and ranging from GHS 14,019.60 to GHS 54,743.20. Among repatriated beneficiaries, 11.1% were engaged in economic activities, 55.6% assisted with household chores but were not employed, and 8.9% relapsed. With sustained stakeholder support and active collaboration, the intervention could serve as a scalable model for addressing homelessness among people with mental illness.