The homeless suffer from mental illness at higher rates than the general population. Too often, we put them in jail, which makes things worse. Often the homeless regularly lack access to care providers and facilities, instead there is high potential of them becoming locked away in jail cells. Lifetime arrest rates for the homeless number between 62.9 percent and 90 percent.
The homeless need our help. While it will take time to the change the way America handles mental illness, the best place to start is with reform of the criminal justice system that disproportionally criminalizes and incarcerates the homeless.
Researchers have long been aware of the intersections among mental illness, homelessness, and criminal justice. There are more than 550,000 homeless people on the streets on any given night in the United States. Forty-five percent of them suffer from mental illness, and the homeless are 11 times more likely to be incarcerated than the general population.
The reason behind this conjuncture of mental illness, homelessness, and criminal justice are complex. Some states discharge sufferers from mental illness to homeless shelters creating and influx in the homeless population and destabilizing homeless communities. One study found that 35 percent of homeless adults had a substance abuse problem as well.
Our criminal justice system simply isn’t designed to provide care for people experiencing homelessness and mental illness. Once the homeless and mentally ill start having encounters with the criminal justice system, it’s very hard to turn things around. People who get involved in the justice system have their lives upended and are cut off from the support networks they may have had. Often, upon release they struggle to get reconnected with the services they need.
In Grand Rapids, One Starfish Foundation has the privilege of working with the Homeless Outreach Team. This team consist of two police officers and two fire personnel who have social workers and recovery specialist to assist with behavioral health and recovery coaching. We have experienced great benefits through our partnership with this team which provides the mentally ill homeless connections with the resources they need to get back on their feet and stay out of the criminal justice system.
