Homeless and Mental Illness

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.



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"National Coalition for the Homeless." National Coalition for the Homeless. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. .