Centre for Homelessness and Inclusion Health

Based in the University of Edinburgh’s School of Health in Social Science, the Centre for Homelessness and Inclusion Health (CHIH) is a collaboration between the University and partners across Scotland.

Inclusion health is a growing clinical, policy, and research agenda which focuses on populations that are poorly served by mainstream healthcare and experience disproportionately poor health (e.g. people facing homelessness, individuals engaged in sex work, migrants in vulnerable circumstances, those engaged with the criminal justice system). 

CHIH and the organisations and individuals affiliated with it aim to better understand, prevent, and redress health inequalities affecting inclusion health populations. They share particular expertise in issues associated with homelessness and related forms of deep social exclusion.

The Centre’s work focuses on three core threads of activity, these being: education, research, and community engagement.

The CHIH’s flagship course on homelessness and inclusion health is delivered in Semester 2 (January-April) each year. It involves guest lectures from a range of homelessness, health and social care sector representatives (including people with lived experience) as well as leading academics in the field. Particular emphasis is placed on making theory and empirical research practically applicable to health and social care professionals. 

The 20-credit course is run at both postgraduate and undergraduate levels. The Masters-level option, which can be attended in person (on campus) or remotely (on-line), is popular with practitioners who enrol for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Course requirements include attending 10 weekly lectures (delivered live on campus and recorded for on-line students), engagement with group discussions, and reading academic and practice-focussed literature.

Enquiries about the course are most welcome and should be directed to Professor Sarah Johnsen (sarah.johnsen@ed.ac.uk).