Breaking the Scourge of Homelessness in Severe Mental Illness in Nigeria
Published on Jun 09, 2026
Breaking the Scourge of Homelessness in Severe Mental Illness in Nigeria - A Call to Action to the Government
To break the scourge of homelessness among individuals with severe mental illness in Nigeria, the government must move beyond policy statements and actively enforce the Mental Health Act.
Effective change requires delibrate and effective delivery of community-based care & rehabilitation, integrating mental health into primary healthcare, and establishing government-run "therapy shelters" to transition vulnerable citizens off the streets, and supporting community reintegration.
Actionable blueprint for federal and state governments will include:
1. Fully Fund and Implement the National Mental Health Act
• Establish the Mental Health Fund: Act on the provisions of the 2023 Mental Health Act by legally establishing and adequately financing the National Mental Health Fund to subsidize care.
• State-Level Domestication: State governments nationwide must domesticate and implement the Act to guarantee care at the grassroots level.
2. Decentralise and deinstitutionalise Care via Primary & Secondary Healthcare Centres
• Expand Facilities and Services: The existing Federal Neuropsychiatric hospitals must establish viable community mental health services, through collaboration with secondary medical centres in their geopolitical catchment areas of the country, especially in underserved, rural communities.
• Integrate Mental Health into primary care: Train primary healthcare workers and community health extension workers (CHEWs) across local governments to identify, treat, and stabilize severe mental illnesses early, preventing the progression to homelessness.
• Task-Sharing: Equip PHCs with the capacity to distribute essential psychotropic medications to prevent out-of-pocket expenses and treatment abandonment by overwhelmed family members.
3. Establish Government-Run "Therapy Shelters"
• Rescue-Shelter-Treat Programme: This aligns with Section 41 (place of safety) of the Mental Health Act. The “therapy shelters”, where individuals removed from the streets can receive proper evaluation and immediate care, may be located within existing government healthcare facilities for efficiency, from where they are moved to purpose established community accommodation and integration facilities when ready.
4. Invest in Community Reintegration Accommodation.
• Permanent Supportive Housing: Shift away from institutionalization to a community housing approach, prioritizing the provision of permanent, affordable housing as the foundation for stability and recovery.
• Vocational and Family Support: Fund community-based halfway houses and vocational rehabilitation programmes. Create structured programmes to relieve caregivers burden and reintegrate stabilized patients back into society.
Advocates, civil societies, and medical professionals can collaborate by pushing these specific demands to legislative and executive arms of Government.
