Is There Still a Problem with Homelessness and Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia and homelessness have been closely associated for at least 150 years, and probably longer. However, this association has only been generally recognized over the past 25 years, partially as a result of research but mainly because of changes in societal attitudes and the social environment. With this recognition has come the patchy development of mental health services for homeless people. This development has mainly been within the nongovernment organization sector in Europe and the United States but also within the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, resulting in a number of different models of service. A selection of these service models is described and the respective roles of the statutory and voluntary sectors discussed.