KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
Los Angeles County officials are set to analyze current mental health laws in California to help combat chronic homelessness.
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L.A. County Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger is recommending the Department of Mental Health to provide a legal analysis, interpretation and application of all existing state mental health laws.
“Currently in Los Angeles County, we have a homeless crisis,” said Tony Bell, spokesperson for Supervisor Barger. “Many of these individuals are suffering from mental illness.”
Current mental health laws only require mandatory treatment for emergency circumstances, known as a ‘5150 hold’ — this only applies when the individual is a danger to others, or themselves or gravely disabled, according to the code.
“There is another population that may not meet the threshold for a mandatory 5150 hold,” said Bell. “These are the individuals that are unable or unwilling to accept care and may be gravely disabled.”
Barger is requesting from the Department of Mental Health what qualifies as ‘gravely disabled’ — the interpretation could increase access to resources for homeless people, said Bell.
“This is a huge population of homeless people in Los Angeles County,” he continued. “If we were able to get treatment to these people — it would help a very large part of our homeless population.”
This action by Supervisor Barger is in the wake of Measure H, that is set to generate about $3.5 billion for homeless programs over 10 years
The measure, passed on March 7 by L.A. County voters, funds services such as mental health, substance abuse treatment, health care, job training, transportation, outreach and prevention, according to the measure.
“Supervisor Barger has committed to ensuring that every dollar raised by Measure H goes to solving the homeless problem,” said Bell. “This issue requires a reform mental laws and an assertive, if not aggressive outreach to the mentally ill — to get them off the street and into productive lives.”
The homeless population in Los Angeles County was almost 47,000 in 2016, according to the county’s annual homeless count. This was an increase of about 6 percent from 2015, and 19 percent from 2013.
The 2017 homeless count was conducted in January, organizers expect that number to rise when the results have been determined.
Well I hope they don’t spend the millions on the employees to conduct this legal analysis. Sounds like a waste of money. How about building a low cost housing project for these people and have them do some community service for housing and care. Job training is not going to help them without an address to put down on the application. If we can raise that much for their free healthcare than where is ours ? Where is our tax paid hospital and doctors?.
What gets lost in “the” mentally ill and “the” homeless are the specifics on has to address to solve the various issues. Both are abstractions.
Low cost housing and group homes are critical to improving the care for the mentally ill homelessness. JFK in 1963 disbanded the mental hospitals across the country and proposed that individual states provide those services, which never happened. Hence the huge population of homeless people with mental illness. Many are incarcerated in the prison system which is the last place they should be. As a parent of a mentally ill grown son who has been on the brink of homelessness many times, this is a step in the right direction. I agree with your statement regarding our own healthcare, but I suppose we depend on our federal lawmakers in Washington to work that out. Eight years and counting for our representatives to work together to fix it and make it happen for all Americans. At least our local politicians are addressing the problem of the mentally ill.