Mental health and homelessness are deeply interconnected, yet temporary supported accommodation (TSA) services struggle to address this intersectionality. This paper critically analyses TSA services, exploring the question: ‘How can TSA be improved to better support individuals experiencing homelessness and mental health concerns?’ It explores how integrating psychologically informed environments within TSA could enhance their capacity.

The paper demonstrates how a psychologically informed environment framework can strengthen TSA by fostering reflective practice and building multidisciplinary teams. 

Key findings

• Specialist homelessness services identify the growing rates of service users with mental health concerns, which increased by 15.7% between 2020 and 2024.
• The intersection of homelessness and mental health concerns presents complex challenges for TSA programs, as the current lack of mental health integration and staff training is leading to poor housing and health outcomes.
• Embedding mental health specialists within TSA can enhance service capacity and improve support for residents with mental health needs.