Homelessness and mental illness: two challenges that are deeply intertwined

LEARN

As difficult as it is to suffer from just one or the other, mental illness and homelessness far too often go hand-in-hand. For those experiencing homelessness, mental illness is one of the most challenging and expensive obstacles to overcome. In 2016, as part of the SF Homeless Project, the San Francisco Chronicle took a look into what it would take for a big city like San Francisco to permanently meet the needs of mentally ill homeless people.

The streets’ sickest, costliest: the mentally ill
San Francisco Chronicle, June 29, 2016

Everyone has seen them. They are the men and women walking barefoot down Market Street, talking to themselves or yelling obscenities at no one in particular. Or sitting quietly in dim doorways, rocking back and forth, or sprawling on nests of dirty blankets in BART corridors.

The sickest people living on San Francisco’s streets are not only the most noticeable, but the most vulnerable and hardest to reach. Public health experts believe roughly a third — and maybe many more — of all homeless people in San Francisco are mentally ill, many of them battling severe conditions like schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress and bipolar disorder.

So intertwined are homelessness and mental health that it is impossible to resolve one without addressing the other. But on this fundamental issue, San Francisco is struggling at every level, unable to keep the most needy people from cycling between the street, emergency rooms, shelters and jail cells, at great expense and often without real progress.

Read the full article here.

GET INVOLVED

In Los Angeles, The People Concern is one of many organizations addressing housing and mental health care. Help plate and serve breakfast to residents who have been placed in their interim housing facilities on Saturdays and Sundays from 7:30AM-9:00AM. Learn more and sign up here.

ABOUT

South Park Studies is a new initiative designed to bring you news and resources on the topics we hear questions about the most — homelessness, daycare and school availability, transportation, and more. Each topic, starting with homelessness, will consist of a multi-week series of article recommendations, volunteer opportunities, and more. Learn more about South Park by visiting southpark.la.

Coro Fellow Taylor Brown contributed to this piece. Learn more about the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs here.