Mental Illness and Homelessness

It seems that every major American metropolitan area faces homelessness at a consistently increasing rate. Homelessness is often one of the major talking points that local politicians will address when running their campaigns. Homelessness is frequently brought up when discussing how a city can improve its infrastructure and the well-being of its citizens. One of the biggest hurdles that people face when discussing solutions to homelessness is the problem of mental health issues and drug use disorders among people living without homes. In an article written by The National Coalition for the Homeless, it is stated that roughly 25% of those that are homeless live with severe and debilitating mental illness. 

There is often discourse over the solutions to homelessness. It seems that since mental illness is so correlated with homelessness this should be addressed when discussing solutions to the factors that lead to homelessness. Often times homeless people are just displaced further and are asked to leave the areas that they occupy. I understand where people are coming from if they are living near or are having to work near a makeshift shelter that people who are homeless have created, but these types of actions seem to only be a short-term solution that only benefits those who are not homeless. 

It seems that the best course of action when it comes to helping people who are homeless is to help contribute to making sure they are given mental health resources. People with mental illnesses are more likely to become homeless, and being homeless can further exacerbate mental illnesses making it a lot harder for people to recover from being homeless. Without a support system of any kind, people who become homeless will have a very difficult time finding ways to support themselves. Oregon specifically was ranked the worst state in the United States when it comes to mental health and adequate resources for those who are dealing with mental illnesses according to an article by KGW. 

References and more information regarding mental health and homelessness and how you can help can be found below.

Mehlhaf, A. (2017, June 15). Oregon ranks worst in US for mental health, study says. Retrieved, 2020, from https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/oregon-ranks-worst-in-us-for-mental-health-study-says/283-449141620

Mental Illness and Homelessness. (2009). Retrieved 2020, from https://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/Mental_Illness.pdf

Homelessness in America: Overview of Data and Causes. Retrieved 2020, from https://nlchp.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Homeless_Stats_Fact_Sheet.pdf

The Never-Ending Loop: Homelessness, Psychiatric Disorder, and Mortality. Retrieved  2020, from https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/never-ending-loop-homelessness-psychiatric-disorder-and-mortality