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I bet you don’t know this. Mental illness, drug abuse, homelessness and not enough being done to address any of them are four things that are prominent in today’s world. When this situation arises in our own area we are faced with a problem that hits closer to home.
People who are homeless in the community are in need of our help. Prior to the 1960’s people with mental illness were involuntarily admitted to state psychiatric hospitals. Eventually unnecessary hospitalization ceased with the development of medication to control symptoms. Today’s standard is no involuntary admission unless the individual posed a threat to themselves or others. Gradually people were being discharged from the hospitals but were not provided with the follow-up community-based programs they needed. These people ended up living on the streets.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 20-25% of the homeless population in the United States suffers from some form of mental illness. In 2008, mental illness was the third largest cause of homelessness in adults. Research has shown that homeless individuals with a mental illness suffer mostly from severe chronic depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders, and severe personality disorders.
Forty percent of the homeless population is families with children; most of these are run by a single woman. Research has shown that 84% of these mothers have been severely assaulted at some point in their lives resulting in a higher probability their children will have mental health problems. These mental illnesses disrupt peoples’ ability to carry out essential daily tasks such as personal hygiene, household management, and creating and maintaining stable interpersonal relationships.
In addition to having a mental illness, some of these people have substance abuse problems. They self medicate with street drugs which can lead to disease from intravenous injections. This combination of mental illness, poor physical health, and substance abuse makes it very hard for people to obtain employment and a stable residence.
Studies show that continual treatment and services improve the probability that homeless persons will maintain stable housing. Supported housing programs were created to provide the care needed. Services include mental health treatment, physical health care, education and employment opportunities, peer support, daily living and money management skills trainings.
In order to reduce the numbers of homeless people with mental illnesses we need to have more continual treatment available. Seven Counties Services, Inc has a homeless outreach team that does just that. The Center for Rehabilitation and Recovery also offers a Supported Housing Program for residents that are ready to learn how to live in the community.
"Library Index." Library Index. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/2321/Health-Homeless-MENTAL-HEALTH-HOMELESS. "National Coalition for the Homeless." National Coalition for the Homeless. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. .
Too often nowadays when I watch newscasts I am overwhelmed by the negativity, cynicism, mean-spiritedness and pessimism reflected in the content. As I flip from channel to channel I am amazed that the same stories are being broadcast almost at the same exact moments. The stories would have you believe that the glass is not even half empty, it is virtually drained. I find myself caught in a vise of negative emotions feeling anxious and full of despair. I wonder how these myopic presentations affect others.
How often are we bombarded with warning signs that tell us the world is a dangerous place? Frequently, even the weather report is made to sound ominous and foreboding. We are in a constant state of storm warnings that have turned the cleansing rain of a thunderstorm into a deluge of fear.
What are the cumulative effects of the onslaught of continuous stress on us as people? I can only imagine the constant flow of adrenaline we are exposed to which leads us to states of hypersensitivity or numbness. Karen Horney, a contemporary of Freud, defined anxiety as a "feeling of being lost and alone in a potentially hostile environment." We must be experiencing states of super anxiety since we are exposed to messages that tell us we are in a constantly hostile environment. I can feel the rush of adrenaline and the pressure building within me and then I force myself to pull back from the brink recognizing that what I am reacting to is the myopic characterizations that are being placed before me. 
I become mindful once again of the words of FDR "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." and mindful of the wisdom of Howard Zinn, a social activist and historian who recently passed away on January 27th 2010. In his book "A Power Governments Cannot Suppress" Zinn wrote:
"If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places-and there are so many-where people have behaved magnificently, it energizes us to act, and raises at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory." I open my eyes more fully and I can see the resilience of the people of Haiti following the devastation caused by an earthquake. I can see the coming together of others with their outpouring of help. I can see courage, strength, generosity, hope. While the world may have its dangers I recognize that we as human beings have the competence to cope with them and the ability to fashion the world as we would like it. So in spite of the economy, weather, violence, political corruption, and the empty glass there is hope.
