Health & Housing Project
The Health & Housing Project is part of King’s Legal Clinic’s Housing Clinic and works in partnership with hospital homeless teams at King’s College Hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital. The project supports hospital patients who are experiencing homelessness or housing difficulties and who may need legal advice in connection with their housing situation.
The project aims to improve access to legal support for patients whose health and wellbeing are affected by homelessness, insecure housing or social welfare issues. By working alongside hospital homeless teams, the Clinic helps identify legal problems at an early stage and supports patients to access appropriate advice and assistance.
Student volunteers work in pairs and are supervised and supported by both the Clinic and the hospital team throughout their placement. Their work includes speaking with patients, following up after discharge, gathering information for homelessness or Care Act assessments, and drafting letters for review. The project gives students practical experience of client-facing work, multidisciplinary collaboration and access to justice in a healthcare setting.
One of the most rewarding moments of the year came when an email arrived saying that a patient with no recourse to public funds had been granted urgent interim accommodation under the Care Act, on an application I had put together and sent off the day before. Word came back that he was on his way to collect the keys and had asked the team to pass on his thanks. Knowing that something you wrote changed where someone slept that night is not something you take for granted.
Séan Aanesen, former final year LLB English and German Law student
For a first-hand perspective on this work, read a student volunteer’s reflection on supporting patients experiencing homelessness or housing related difficulties through the Health & Housing Project at King’s College Hospital.