Half of Sydney's homeless mentally ill ONE in two homeless people in Sydney suffer from a diagnosed mental health condition, a survey has found. The survey of 77 people who use the nightly meal services of the Exodus Foundation, conducted with Macquarie University, revealed almost 55 per cent have mental health issues. "If any other part of the community suffered to this extent, there would be demands for government intervention," said the foundation's CEO, Reverend Bill Crews. A quarter of those surveyed were younger than 30, and more than half - 50.7 per cent - were either sleeping rough or in boarding houses and unable to access affordable housing. Men aged over 41 were the most frequent users of the mobile food van, the survey found. The study - The homeless of the inner-city: A snapshot 2013 - also found that almost two-thirds of respondents had been using the food van for more than 12 months. This indicated many were unable to break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage, said Rev Crews. "The homeless of the inner-city appear to be slipping through government safety nets," he said.