(Jan. 31, 2014) Determined to end chronic homelessness in Washington, DC, local nonprofits and community leaders have launched The Way Home campaign, an effort to rally community support for people whose homes are the on the street (“Campaign launches to end chronic homelessness in DC by 2017,” Jan. 28).
The campaign advocates for permanent supportive housing using the "housing first" model. In this model, housing is the most important and first step toward recovery, meaning the long-term homeless are housed immediately and then treated for issues like alcoholism or mental illness.
But of the estimated 15,000 DC residents who are currently experiencing homelessness, about one-third suffer from a severe mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Yes, they need a place to sleep, but they need treatment to be stable enough to stay off the streets.
If we really want to get serious about helping the most vulnerable among the homeless – those who are homeless and mentally ill - we need to recognize many also need psychiatric treatment and make sure they get it.
Recovery takes many steps. For many with the most serious psychiatric diseases, the road begins with treatment.
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