Experiences of stigma and discrimination among people experiencing homelessness: a cross-sectional pilot survey in South London, UK.

OBJECTIVES: To understand experiences of stigma and discrimination among adults who are homeless across multiple care and support system contexts. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey embedded within an ethnographic case study. SETTING: South London, UK, 2024. PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of 74 people experiencing homelessness, aged over 18 years. RESULTS: Participants most commonly reported unfair treatment in public settings (85%), legal settings (72%), housing and homelessness services (68%) and health settings (65%). These experiences were attributed to a range of factors and identities, with homelessness the most commonly cited; people commonly linked unfair experiences to multiple identities. People with more comorbidities reported experiencing unfair treatment across more system settings, including and beyond health systems. CONCLUSIONS: Unfair treatment was reported across multiple care and support systems with greater ill-health associated with more unfair treatment. Future larger-scale surveys should measure the extent of stigma and discrimination across the population.