Abstract
A Health and Lifestyle Survey was undertaken amongst 8,251 residents of the North West Thames Regional Health Authority (RHA) and 319 ‘temporary’ homeless people awaiting permanent rehousing. In both groups mental health status was assessed using the 12 item General Health Questionnaire. The prevdence of mental health problems was twice as high in the homeless population (44%) as in the Region's resident population (18%). This indicates that mental health problems are not the sole prerogative of those homeless people who live on the streets.