by Susan Strong
A homeless man walks into the local soup kitchen for lunch� possibly the only meal he will receive all day. Because of a condition called schizophrenia, he has a fear of large crowds of people. This man�s fears cause him to come in toward the end of lunchtime. The kitchen staff becomes angry with him always coming in late. His being late means they have to stay an extra 10 or so minutes to clean his dish. The staff decides that they will give him a skimpy portion of food on a paper plate from now on whenever he comes in late� hoping this will make the man come earlier.
A homeless woman, who also suffers from schizophrenia, is banned from a local soup kitchen. Instead of fearing people, this woman likes to walk around and talk to the others eating their meals. She is considered a nuisance by the kitchen staff, and therefore banned from ever coming in to their facilities again.
Yet another homeless man who suffers from mental illness is sitting in a dark alley. Fearing for his life, he sits there wondering whether he dares go to sleep. What will happen to him if he closes his eyes? Will gang members find him and beat him? He is afraid of being out in the dark alone, yet he doesn�t dare go to a homeless shelter. A few others staying at the shelter do not understand him and treat him poorly, beat him, swear at him, calling him names.
These above situations are true stories. There are many other similar stories out there. Some are even more terrible to hear. Tens to hundreds of thousands of mentally ill homeless people are out on the streets right now. They need our help.
Approximately 20-25% of the single adult homeless population suffers from some form of severe and ongoing mental illness. These people generally remain homeless for longer periods of time and also have less contact with any existing family or friends. Severe mental disorders prevent people from carrying out essential components of their daily life. Simple tasks such as self-care, household management, and inter-personal relationships become much more difficult, if not impossible, for the severely mentally ill.
Mentally ill homeless people encounter more difficulties to find employment, tend to be in poorer physical health, and have more problems with the law than other homeless people who do not suffer from a mental illness. All people with these illnesses need ongoing treatment to lessen the problems caused by their condition. However, it is found that most of these people do not need hospitalization, and even fewer require long-term institutional care. Therefore, most of them can live in the community with accommodating housing options.
There are many shelters, missions, and soup kitchens made available to Utah�s homeless population. There are not, however, any of these places set up to specifically take care of the mentally ill portion of homeless in the way they need to be cared for. Many of the organizations will try to help the mentally ill just as they would any other homeless person, but many times organizations will deny services to the mentally ill because their staff is not educated in dealing with them. Because of this ignorance, many mentally ill are left to fend for themselves on the streets. Researchers have determined that each year the average homeless person with severe mental illness spends four and a half months in a shelter, two months in state psychiatric hospitals, seven weeks in various hospitals and nearly three weeks in jail or prison. Obviously, the current system of doing things is simply not working effectively.
This is why Utah needs to develop specialized housing facilities designed specifically for our mentally ill homeless population. We need housing facilities with a staff trained specifically on how to understand and handle people with mental conditions. These facilities can offer much more than the current system offers the mentally ill. Some of the services these facilities can offer are not only food and shelter, but also group and individual counseling, educational and job training services, as well as providing daily medication for those who need it to treat their illness. Those that can be stabilized can also benefit from the assistance of these facilities in finding them a place to work and live; whether it be in supportive housing communities or out on their own.
This issue is definitely something that deserves to be looked into further within our community. The benefits of these facilities will far out-weigh any costs. There will be fewer mentally ill people on the streets, and they will be receiving proper care, therapy, training, and assistance. Both the community and the mentally ill will be safer, and there will be a reduction in the overall homeless population. Above all else, the community can benefit with peace of mind that our city has such a wonderful place to help those great in need.
SOURCES USED:
Book: �Opposing Viewpoint Series�. The Homeless Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press Inc, 1996
National Coalition for the Homeless
www.nationalhomeless.org
Utah Homeless Issues
http://spartacus_1.tripod.com/UtahHomeless/
