Substance Abuse And Homelessness

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According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 20 to 25% of the homeless population in the United States suffers from some form of severe mental illness. Only 6% of Americans are severely mentally ill (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009). In a 2008 survey performed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, 25 cities were asked for the three largest causes of homelessness in their communities. Mental illness was the third largest cause of homelessness for single adults (mentioned by 48% of cities). For homeless families, mental illness was mentioned by 12% of cities as one of the top 3 causes of homelessness. (Library Index. “The Health of the Homeless – The Mental Health of Homeless People.” 2009. Available from…show more content…
Poor mental health may also affect physical health, especially for people who are homeless. Mental illness may cause people to neglect taking the necessary precautions against disease. When combined with inadequate hygiene due to homelessness, this may lead to physical problems such as respiratory infections, skin diseases, or exposure to tuberculosis or HIV. In addition, half of the mentally ill homeless population in the United States also suffers from substance abuse and dependence (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services…show more content…
(U.S. Department of Health and HumanServices, 2003). Homeless people need time and support to make the cultural transition into housing. Networks of housing options with support services are needed to allow patients to progress at their own pace toward sustainable levels of independence. The Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC) Act of 1963 held the promise of capturing resources misspent on psychiatric institutionalization and redirecting some of the funds to outpatient care for discharged clients. We need to help insure that they can access basic life necessities daily that are needed to improve care increase health and decrease hospitalizations and provide some hope for the future. As is important as housing, health and hope is, unfortunately it cannot solve all of the problems that the mentally ill face, but you have to start
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