In the September 7th Business council meeting Mayor Birney proclaimed September as National Recovery Month. Immediately afterwards, during "Items From The Audience," over 15 individuals vehemently spoke against the Silver Cloud Homeless Hotel, some even challenging Mayor Birney. They were bothered by poor notice, poor information on how the hotel will operate, it's location near 12 schools, absence of long and short term goals, and other issues. Unfortunately, the hotel will be low barrier.
Stigmatism of the mentally ill at the meeting was at an all time high. The importance of consistent medical pharmaceutical treatment was barely addressed. Hotel shelter and socialization with case managers would provide a safe environment to reliably facilitate medical management.
In each weekly report I will address one mental health and/or substance abuse topic relevant to the Homeless Hotel. My first topic is the mentally ill and "acts of violence":
- Most individuals with serious mental illness are not dangerous.
- Most acts of violence are committed by individuals who are not mentally ill.
- Individuals with serious mental illness are victimized by violent acts more often than they commit violent acts.
- Being a young male or a substance abuser (alcohol or drugs) is a greater risk factor for violent behavior than being mentally ill.
- No evidence suggests that people with serious mental illness receiving effective treatment are more dangerous than individuals in the general population.
That being said, a small number of individuals with serious mental illnesses commit acts of violence. Individuals who are not being treated commit almost all acts of violence; many of them also abusing alcohol or drugs.
Source: "Treatment Advocacy Center"
-- Bob Yoder, 9/13/2021
The Silver Cloud Inn is not a hotel for rehabilitation. A report entitled Homeless Contracts Management Audit done by the City of Seattle Auditor, which oversees 200 homeless service provider contracts, shows there are monitoring problems at the current permanent supportive housing with the providers. Facilities, according to Leonardo Flor, the director of Community and Human Services for King County, and a Seattle Human Services Department report confirm that PSH facilities are not immediately assigned a swing shift nurse unless they generate a high volume of 911 non-emergency Medical calls within a 12 month period. Despite advertisements for positions at the current facilities of a Project Manager, a clinical support specialist, a supportive housing project coordinator, and a case manager and night nurse, these positions remain unfilled. Overlake does not have a dedicated Redmond police station. On January 1, 2022, the King County Regional Housing Authority will be taking over those 200 problematic service contracts with the budget from the Seattle Human Services Department. There will be only 40 staff for that department. Only a few cause problems? Komo News 4 has reported as of September 24, 2021 that there have been 952 fires in Seattle at homeless camps this year alone.
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