Columns

In the past twenty-five years, programs to help high functioning mentally ill persons have evaporated. A lot of this is attributable to funding cuts. Yet when funding is restored, helping those who do a bit better hasn't been a priority.  

I have met numerous people with mental illness who are very "high functioning," and it seems clear that there aren’t very many resources for help available in the community. Most of the resources go toward those who are either the most severely impaired, and perhaps those who are potentially the worst nuisances.  

When employed and self-employed in my twenties, I was helped by Department of Rehabilitation and by a mental health organization which at the time was called Phoenix Programs. They both withdrew support when I needed ongoing help.  

It seems as though these two organizations counseled me and provided emotional support up to a point, and then assumed I would live happily ever after. In order to be successful in the long-term, I would have needed ongoing encouragement--from someone. It was too difficult to try to be successful in somewhat of an emotional vacuum.  

There aren't a lot of employment opportunities for a disabled, mentally ill, middle-aged man or woman. A chronically mentally ill but reasonably intelligent person may not have the work history or the educational background to obtain a decent job. And manual labor jobs aren't doable for someone a bit older who may be heavily medicated. Furthermore, if there is some position that might possibly be workable, we would still require something part-time--another factor making it far more difficult to get hired.  

In 2003, I was employed in a "special" opportunity for mentally ill people to do data entry from home. The host organization couldn't get contracts. Also, the director, who also was mentally ill, did some kind of indiscretion, and this resulted in the conclusion that she continued to be impaired. The program was terminated.  

Another deficiency in the community in terms of resources for persons with mental illness is a devastating lack of affordable housing. People capable of living independently are economically unable to do so, and may be forced into institutional type housing.  

HUD seems to have an agenda of getting as many people off their list as possible. It is likely that the operative ethic is to save taxpayer money. Their annual inspections occur more frequently than annually--sometimes twice within a year. Additionally, on the initial inspections, nitpicking defects in the unit are cited, necessitating a re-inspection. Secondly, minor details in paperwork get cited in the income certifications, necessitating action to fix the paperwork, often on very short notice.  

The amount of assistance provided by HUD only allows a tenant to live in the poor (and sometimes dangerous) neighborhoods--unless you get lucky on a good rental. The amount allowed by Section 8 is about five hundred below the going rates. 

If living on SSI or SSDI, the amount you get doesn't allow so much as renting a room. A room is $600 or $700 minimum, while SSI provides about $800 total. In short, a number of disabled people are either going to be homeless, or forced by lack of money to live in an institutional situation.  

Thus it is dogmatic and false to assert that mentally ill people should just take our medication and then we would be fine. It's not fine. Mentally ill people are deprived of good living conditions.