Who We Are?

150 million Indians are estimated to have mental health issues, yet 83% lack the necessary care. In this low-resource scenario, socio-economic liabilities (gender, caste, class) render people with psychosocial disabilities homeless, with limited options of long-term institutionalization or living on the streets. At The Banyan, we are working to change this scenario substantively. We offer comprehensive mental health services in a range of institutional and community settings for people with mental health issues living in homelessness and poverty. We work in the states of Tamil Nadu with a population of 1 million servicing low-income households and homeless people through a range of approaches that include hospital-based care, housing in rural and urban neighborhoods and community clinic-based mental health solutions.