In partnership with Southwark Council’s Health Inclusion Team, Everyone Health Southwark have launched a ‘swap to stop’ e-cigarette project in Joe Richard’s House, a homeless hostel in Southwark in an effort to improve the health of people currently experiencing homelessness.
The swap-to-stop project will see face-to-face in-house stop smoking clinics at Joe Richard’s House, ran by Everyone Health Southwark service manager, Bhamini Patel and Stop Smoking Advisor, Channelle Osigbesan, alongside providing free Nicotine Replacement Therapy products (NRT) and vapes to give clients the best chance at stopping smoking for good.
To support them with this new project, Bhamini and Channelle have enlisted the help of Groundswell, a homelessness charity dedicated to advocating for better health for those experiencing homelessness, and completed training with them.
Recently, The Health Development Agency (HDA) revealed 90% of people experiencing homelessness smoked and were more likely to smoke high-tar cigarettes and butts from bins, and inhale more deeply. These factors combined makes individuals much more susceptible to infections and respiratory diseases, which can be highly dangerous for those experiencing homelessness who often struggle to access healthcare and support services.
It is hoped that this new initiative will enable individuals to go smoke-free and also raise awareness for those who want to quit smoking about the support services available to help them.