I’m not sure that mental health was the primary reason for homelessness. Saying that…if circumstances of losing my job, my house, my car…put me on the streets, then at that point I may become mentally unstable with hopelessness. Covid put many of our families on the streets…governments shutting down economies, businesses, jobs! And I’m afraid that the worst is not over yet once the moratorium on rent and mortgages is over. Help comes from individuals helping others…one on one! If one person helps one person…then some form of progress against homelessness is made. I think this is the way we could change lives.
The homelessness in Los Angeles has been there for decades and reached almost the level it is at now before Covid came to visit. Same for other West Coast cities like Seattle and San Francisco.
Speaking for what we see here in the Detroit area, many of those on the street do not want to go into shelters or any other place where there are rules because they are alcoholics, drug addicts or both. It is easy to see because we have severe winter weather here, and many choose to remain on the streets or in abandoned buildings rather than go into a nice warm shelter with beds, blankets and warm meals.
And yes, I believe that mental illness is a huge component in the “homeless” population, particularly in warm weather cities. When we still had a mental health structure in this country, many of these people would be institutionalized. Now they are on the streets or in jail. A huge proportion of the prison population are mentally ill.
I was in Los Angeles at a convention in about 1980 – 40 years ago. I remember seeing a man sleeping in the gutter on a main street in broad daylight near my hotel. It was a nice area in downtown LA.
At the time it was shocking. I have lived in cities – Detroit and Chicago – and I had never seen that before.
Mental illness affects a significant proportion of the homeless population. A study by the National Institute of Mental Health found that approximately 6% of Americans are severely mentally ill, compared to the 20-25% of the homeless population that suffers from severe mental illness. Furthermore, 45% of the homeless population shows history of mental illness diagnoses.
JC Bliss has coined a term which succinctly describes what Whittle discusses – the Homeless Industrial Complex. Iow, democrat graft and corruption.
One thing Whittle does not mention, and should imo, is all the codes regulations enabling all the homelessness.
Remember when HUD Sec Dr Ben showcased his tiny homes? Small, extremely compact, some were even on wheels.
Going to CA and talking with all the grifters, aka Democrat politicians, Dr Ben was firmly shown why every one of Dr Ben’s houses failed passing all the codes and regulations.
In one of my Psych classes, we toured Massillion State Hospital, which was the mental hospital, since closed.
The patients were very well controlled, as they were receiving proper medication and generally led peaceful lives.
Closing the mental hospitals that were doing a good job was a monstrous mistake. imo
I’m not sure that mental health was the primary reason for homelessness. Saying that…if circumstances of losing my job, my house, my car…put me on the streets, then at that point I may become mentally unstable with hopelessness. Covid put many of our families on the streets…governments shutting down economies, businesses, jobs! And I’m afraid that the worst is not over yet once the moratorium on rent and mortgages is over. Help comes from individuals helping others…one on one! If one person helps one person…then some form of progress against homelessness is made. I think this is the way we could change lives.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Cool. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
The homelessness in Los Angeles has been there for decades and reached almost the level it is at now before Covid came to visit. Same for other West Coast cities like Seattle and San Francisco.
Speaking for what we see here in the Detroit area, many of those on the street do not want to go into shelters or any other place where there are rules because they are alcoholics, drug addicts or both. It is easy to see because we have severe winter weather here, and many choose to remain on the streets or in abandoned buildings rather than go into a nice warm shelter with beds, blankets and warm meals.
And yes, I believe that mental illness is a huge component in the “homeless” population, particularly in warm weather cities. When we still had a mental health structure in this country, many of these people would be institutionalized. Now they are on the streets or in jail. A huge proportion of the prison population are mentally ill.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I was in Los Angeles at a convention in about 1980 – 40 years ago. I remember seeing a man sleeping in the gutter on a main street in broad daylight near my hotel. It was a nice area in downtown LA.
At the time it was shocking. I have lived in cities – Detroit and Chicago – and I had never seen that before.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Serious Mental Illness Prevalence in Jails and Prisons
https://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/evidence-and-research/learn-more-about/3695
LikeLiked by 2 people
Mental illness affects a significant proportion of the homeless population. A study by the National Institute of Mental Health found that approximately 6% of Americans are severely mentally ill, compared to the 20-25% of the homeless population that suffers from severe mental illness. Furthermore, 45% of the homeless population shows history of mental illness diagnoses.
https://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~hcht/blog/homelessness-and-mental-health-facts
LikeLiked by 3 people
A surprising amount were also veterans!
LikeLiked by 2 people
JC Bliss has coined a term which succinctly describes what Whittle discusses – the Homeless Industrial Complex. Iow, democrat graft and corruption.
One thing Whittle does not mention, and should imo, is all the codes regulations enabling all the homelessness.
Remember when HUD Sec Dr Ben showcased his tiny homes? Small, extremely compact, some were even on wheels.
Going to CA and talking with all the grifters, aka Democrat politicians, Dr Ben was firmly shown why every one of Dr Ben’s houses failed passing all the codes and regulations.
In one of my Psych classes, we toured Massillion State Hospital, which was the mental hospital, since closed.
The patients were very well controlled, as they were receiving proper medication and generally led peaceful lives.
Closing the mental hospitals that were doing a good job was a monstrous mistake. imo
LikeLiked by 2 people
I remember touring the mental hospital in Elgin, IL when I was in high school.
LikeLike