Hopeless about the homeless? Don’t sit at the intersection, step up [Fresno Bee]

It is easy to sit at almost any intersection in our community, spot a person we presume to be homeless, mentally ill (or both), and think to ourselves “No one is doing anything about this.” Nothing could be further from the truth. First, make no mistake. The challenges of homelessness, mental illness, substance abuse and general disenfranchisement from our community are complex. There are no simple solutions. Five years ago, our community was in crisis. County mental health services were unraveling. Calls to law enforcement were on the rise. The number of mental health patients arriving in our hospital emergency rooms was spiraling out of control. Homeless folks were gathering in increasing numbers across the community. Our faith-based and community-based organizations were overwhelmed with needs they could not meet. The convergence of these factors was creating a dangerous and unsustainable situation. In 2011, a small group of community leaders from all sectors came together to have a conversation about what we all could do – collectively – to significantly transform our mental health system of care. We gathered to consider this seemingly intractable challenge. We toured communities like San Antonio and San Diego to learn about what worked. And what didn’t. 

Read the full article HERE.