Mental Health and my Tent City experience
Since writing my Redmond Reporter column "City Watch" my story on "Tent City" garnered quite a few inquiries for additional information. I've responded.
MY COMMENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS:
It is evident alcohol use will never be totally eradicated from Tent City even with the "zero tolerance" Code of Conduct policy whereby residents are "disbarred" (escorted out of camp by their peers to a bus stop) when caught drinking in camp.
TC4 evictions for alcohol and disorderly conduct are conducted by tent city residents, staff, and parishioners; that's the **policy. During eviction, the police are never called to assess the evictee for health needs, counseling, escort, or even incarceration. With professional objectivity, police could decide if it's to hold the evictee at Tent City to sober up before escorting out. I would strongly encourage police be called during an eviction so professional , objective assessment can be taken. Yes, it may cost taxpayers more, but it's safer for citizens and more humane for the aflicted.
I recommend the homeless camp eviction policy be changed to include police assessment, based on the following anecdotal, documented crime:
On May 9th, one of the few TC4 related crimes by an ex-camp resident occurred; hopefully, anecdotal. The crime was serious - a harmless burglary- and required incarceration on $10,000 bail. Upon request, Redmond Police Commander, Ed Billington gave me the report. edbillington@redmond.gov . Upon further inquiry, Mr. Billington told me the burglar also knocked on residential homes asking for money and that alcohol was associated. [Tent City related "related" crimes rarely get reported. It took some digging to get this.]
Had police been present during the eviction the outcome of the eviction may have been different.
Safety & health assessments should not be left to the sole responsibility of tent city residents. Peer support should be focused to a spiritual, caring, and informational nature. e.g. contacts for AA, Hero House, NAMI , food & shelter support services should be given to the resident upon eviction. Phone communication and follow-up by a capable resident could help. Tent City evictees may be "bottoming out" from their alcohol abuse; they may need medical attention and psycho-pharmaceuticals. (Alcohol and other drugs are commonly used to "self-medicate depression and mania.)
My brother died from the isolation of a co-morbid bipolar disorder, anxiety & alcoholism. He was isolated in an apartment, unemployed, miserable from brain damage associated with medication dis-continuance. He could no longer cope. One day he stopped his medication and died. Had Rick not been isolated he might still be living. Thus, my recommendation of the humanity, kinship, and social support of a Hero House and a Tent City.
One final thought before listing support services. Why couldn't Alcoholic Anonymous conduct meetings at TC4 encampments? [AA meeting are on-site now, as of 2011]. Not until Share/Wheel takes mental illness and substance abuse out of their closet will residents' health be addressed fully. Share Wheel's FEAR city permits will be denied when admitting a high presence of mentally ill is unfounded. The permit approvals has been tried, proven and established...time and time again.
ShareWheel should no longer need to "shelter" the mentally ill from society and their chance for better health.
Statistics - National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. When applied to the 2004 U.S. Census residential population estimate for ages 18 and older, this figure translates to 57.7 million people.
The link to NIMH is: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/ NIMH is a government site probably the most credible site for mental health information.
The incidence of serious mental illness in the homeless is about 4 X that of the general population; the homeless experience about a 23%. incidence of serious mental illness.
Serious mental illnesses and substance abuse are often associated with suicide. Some examples are: Major Depression, Classic or "mixed-mood" bipolar co-morbid with alcohol/substance abuse, Schizophrenia co-morbid with substance abuse, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder co-morbid with depression, "Soft" Bipolar (depressive type);
According to conservative estimates, one-third of people who are homeless have serious mental illnesses, and more than one-half also have substance use disorders.
Despite the grim statistics, studies show that supported housing is an effective option for communities working to meet the needs of people with mental health disorders who are homeless. In fact, people who are homeless and have mental illnesses or co-occurring disorders are more likely to recover and stay off the streets if they have access to supported housing programs." Reference: link: http://www1.nmha.org/homeless/HousingandHomelessness.pdf
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Facts of Homelessness: http://www.nrchmi.samhsa.gov/
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Substance Abuse Statistics of the Homeless, Am J Pub Health, 2004 Jan 94(1) 103-108 The bar graph chart above, depicts the incidence of substance abuse in the homeless. You can find an explanation of the bar graph by clicking on the below link:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1449834&rendertype=...
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***SHARE/WHEEL - Operator and Manager of Tent Cities of Puget Sound
Call 206-448-7889 [ask for AA, Hero House, and peer support]
Website: http://anitraweb.org/homelessness/faqs/tentcities.html
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HERO HOUSE - psychiatric and vocational rehabilitation and support. 9-5PM. computers for job hunting and training. subsidized lunch. van pick-up. must apply with proof of diagnosis. confidentiality secured. CALL: 425-614-1282. 14230 NE 21st Street, Bellevue, WA. 98007. http://herohouse.org/
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A.A. - Bellevue - 1299 - 156th Ave. NE. #160. CALL: 425-454-9192. http://alcoholics-anonymous.org/.
Since writing my Redmond Reporter column "City Watch" my story on "Tent City" garnered quite a few inquiries for additional information. I've responded.
MY COMMENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS:
It is evident alcohol use will never be totally eradicated from Tent City even with the "zero tolerance" Code of Conduct policy whereby residents are "disbarred" (escorted out of camp by their peers to a bus stop) when caught drinking in camp.
TC4 evictions for alcohol and disorderly conduct are conducted by tent city residents, staff, and parishioners; that's the **policy. During eviction, the police are never called to assess the evictee for health needs, counseling, escort, or even incarceration. With professional objectivity, police could decide if it's to hold the evictee at Tent City to sober up before escorting out. I would strongly encourage police be called during an eviction so professional , objective assessment can be taken. Yes, it may cost taxpayers more, but it's safer for citizens and more humane for the aflicted.
I recommend the homeless camp eviction policy be changed to include police assessment, based on the following anecdotal, documented crime:
On May 9th, one of the few TC4 related crimes by an ex-camp resident occurred; hopefully, anecdotal. The crime was serious - a harmless burglary- and required incarceration on $10,000 bail. Upon request, Redmond Police Commander, Ed Billington gave me the report. edbillington@redmond.gov . Upon further inquiry, Mr. Billington told me the burglar also knocked on residential homes asking for money and that alcohol was associated. [Tent City related "related" crimes rarely get reported. It took some digging to get this.]
Had police been present during the eviction the outcome of the eviction may have been different.
Safety & health assessments should not be left to the sole responsibility of tent city residents. Peer support should be focused to a spiritual, caring, and informational nature. e.g. contacts for AA, Hero House, NAMI , food & shelter support services should be given to the resident upon eviction. Phone communication and follow-up by a capable resident could help. Tent City evictees may be "bottoming out" from their alcohol abuse; they may need medical attention and psycho-pharmaceuticals. (Alcohol and other drugs are commonly used to "self-medicate depression and mania.)
My brother died from the isolation of a co-morbid bipolar disorder, anxiety & alcoholism. He was isolated in an apartment, unemployed, miserable from brain damage associated with medication dis-continuance. He could no longer cope. One day he stopped his medication and died. Had Rick not been isolated he might still be living. Thus, my recommendation of the humanity, kinship, and social support of a Hero House and a Tent City.
One final thought before listing support services. Why couldn't Alcoholic Anonymous conduct meetings at TC4 encampments? [AA meeting are on-site now, as of 2011]. Not until Share/Wheel takes mental illness and substance abuse out of their closet will residents' health be addressed fully. Share Wheel's FEAR city permits will be denied when admitting a high presence of mentally ill is unfounded. The permit approvals has been tried, proven and established...time and time again.
ShareWheel should no longer need to "shelter" the mentally ill from society and their chance for better health.
Statistics - National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. When applied to the 2004 U.S. Census residential population estimate for ages 18 and older, this figure translates to 57.7 million people.
Even though mental disorders are widespread in the population, the main burden of illness is concentrated in a much smaller proportion — about 6 percent, or 1 in 17 — who suffer from a serious mental illness. In addition, mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and Canada for ages 15-44.
Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time. Nearly half (45 percent) of those with any mental disorder meet criteria for 2 or more disorders, with severity strongly related to co-morbidity. [mental illness and substance abuse is genetic - it can strike whole families.]
The link to NIMH is: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/ NIMH is a government site probably the most credible site for mental health information.
The incidence of serious mental illness in the homeless is about 4 X that of the general population; the homeless experience about a 23%. incidence of serious mental illness.
Serious mental illnesses and substance abuse are often associated with suicide. Some examples are: Major Depression, Classic or "mixed-mood" bipolar co-morbid with alcohol/substance abuse, Schizophrenia co-morbid with substance abuse, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder co-morbid with depression, "Soft" Bipolar (depressive type);
The incidence of alcoholism/substance abuse in the homeless is about 60%.
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"Homelessness is a growing social injustice in the United States. On any given night, approximately 600,000 Americans are homeless and more than two million people are homeless throughout the year.
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"Homelessness is a growing social injustice in the United States. On any given night, approximately 600,000 Americans are homeless and more than two million people are homeless throughout the year.
According to conservative estimates, one-third of people who are homeless have serious mental illnesses, and more than one-half also have substance use disorders.
Despite the grim statistics, studies show that supported housing is an effective option for communities working to meet the needs of people with mental health disorders who are homeless. In fact, people who are homeless and have mental illnesses or co-occurring disorders are more likely to recover and stay off the streets if they have access to supported housing programs." Reference: link: http://www1.nmha.org/homeless/HousingandHomelessness.pdf
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Facts of Homelessness: http://www.nrchmi.samhsa.gov/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Substance Abuse Statistics of the Homeless, Am J Pub Health, 2004 Jan 94(1) 103-108 The bar graph chart above, depicts the incidence of substance abuse in the homeless. You can find an explanation of the bar graph by clicking on the below link:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1449834&rendertype=...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
***SHARE/WHEEL - Operator and Manager of Tent Cities of Puget Sound
Call 206-448-7889 [ask for AA, Hero House, and peer support]
Website: http://anitraweb.org/homelessness/faqs/tentcities.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HERO HOUSE - psychiatric and vocational rehabilitation and support. 9-5PM. computers for job hunting and training. subsidized lunch. van pick-up. must apply with proof of diagnosis. confidentiality secured. CALL: 425-614-1282. 14230 NE 21st Street, Bellevue, WA. 98007. http://herohouse.org/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A.A. - Bellevue - 1299 - 156th Ave. NE. #160. CALL: 425-454-9192. http://alcoholics-anonymous.org/.
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