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In a 3 X 6 piece of cardstock mailed to me in a mass mailing from NAMI, soliciting donations, they hit the nail on the head. The message on that card emphasized the essential truth that an acceptable housing situation is essential for a mentally ill individual to recover. This is the first time I've seen something from National Alliance on Mental Illness that resonated with me to such an extent. 

I've been perplexed that NAMI, in a series of emails, has endorsed Governor Newsom's Care Court proposal, in what seems to me like an automatic response that lacks sufficient thought. I do think Newsom should run for President, because Biden may have less of a chance of beating Trump in the next Presidential race. Newsom projects a lot of energy, is much younger than Biden, and could give Trump a far bigger challenge. Trump attributes the epidemic of gun violence to "the crazies." This has made many people in NAMI take a dim view, and rightly so. 

However, I disagree with Newsom's Care Court idea. I believe there could be better potential solutions that make more sense. Care Court assumes the causes of homelessness are "noncompliance" and substance abuse, leading to poor decisions. This assumption is flawed. 

Mentally ill people need housing, and this is my vision: to live without the continual fear of displacement, without harassment of any kind from anyone, and to live in a safe, clean, spacious, comfortable, air-conditioned unit. This should be granted across the board to people with severe psychiatric problems who have lived in California ten years or more--or should be granted federally. 

However, there is a SUBSTANTIAL DRAWBACK to my concept. When housing is handed out to disabled people, good housing in which the responsibilities are limited and the rent is artificially low, it will attract many who do not have an actual disability, and people in droves would try to board this bandwagon. If countermeasures for this are implemented, such as increased rigor in proving disability, it will be that much harder for Americans with genuine disabilities to obtain much needed benefits of any kind. 

Tackling housing for people with psychiatric disabilities will require a lot of ingenuity and forethought. 

To change tack: 

Mentally ill people, in the housing I've proposed, may need supervision. If so, this must be done in a non-punitive manner--without the threat of displacement as a method to enforce such supervision. Mentally ill people need help. We need psychiatric, medical, and psychological treatment. We need friends. How many people have discussed the arguably universal need for sexual fulfillment where it applies to mentally ill people? 

Air conditioning isn't a luxury, it is a physical and medical need. The medications we are mandated to take often interfere with the body's ability to cool itself. Complications of being medicated, and complications of varying levels of self-care (such as excessive weight and insufficient exercise) are reasons that a lot of mentally ill people can die from too much heat. 

Mentally ill people should not be woken at one in the morning because a neighbor wants a cigarette, or because someone in the carport is trying to repair a defunct vehicle and is making noise at it, and so on... These are two of many examples of harassment, and we need our sleep. 

However, apartment managers should not have a punitive system for disciplining residents who are having difficulty following rules. Something else must be thought of. I get it that the threat of repercussions could be the only way to get some people to behave. Yet, others could learn better behaviors or could learn how to follow rules and policies through educating that person and helping them clarify their thinking. And some will never be able to correct themselves, regardless of anything, including punishing. 

Mentally ill people, where we live, must be protected from a criminal element. In a parasitic and/or predatory manner, criminals take advantage of many disabled people. I've lived at low-income apartments for more than thirty years, and I am all too familiar with the junk that accompanies low income and disabled housing. Criminals should not be considered in the same category as mentally ill, and we should not be lumped together with criminals in the context of social programs. I don't know how this issue can be addressed. 

Trump isn't afraid of getting in legal embroilments because he has a lot of judges in his pocket, including those at the U.S. Supreme Court. We should have Newsom running against Trump because he could beat Trump handily. When Newsom is President, he should make good on his campaign promises. And this includes helping disabled people. And remember this: good housing and the absence of threats are necessary for us to get well and stay well.