News: More needed to realize Americans for Disability Act
On the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act, the full impact of this anti-discrimination law, signed into law by Pres. George H.W. Bush, remains to be realized. . .
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News: Judge scolds NY: adult homes unacceptable
A New York judge ruled that adult homes are unacceptable when it comes to finding the least restrictive housing for people with a mental illness. Within four years all current residents must be afforded a placement . . .
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News: For-profit Chicago nursing home threat to mentally ill
Physical abuse, over-medication, inappropriate patient population, and neglectful care to 300 mentally ill patients led the federal government to halt Medicaid funding from a for-profit nursing home. The courts, and the Department of Health and Human Services agree that the residents of Somerset Place in Chicago have been ill served by the partially family-owned company. . .
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News: New York offers fewer apartments than court orders
Last week New York State proposed aremedial plan to meet a judge's demand for appropriate, supported housing, for 4,300 people living in 28 adult homes.
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Consider This: Court to New York: stop segregating mentally ill residents
. . .addressing wrongs
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Did You Know: Medicaid spent $137 for a day of home health service compared to $1447 for one day in the hospital.
Read more from a report titled Olmstead. from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health...
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News: Living Independently with schizophrenia
More Swedes with schizophrenia live independently than New Yorkers with nearly identical characteristics. . .
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News: New York trial on adult homes
Do adult homes for New York's residents with a mental illness needlessly segregate residents? Or simply because they are not a hospital, are they integrated in the community? This is part of the question that will be answered in U.S District Court. The lawsuit charges many of the privately operated adult homes lack supportive services. In 2003 New York Times reporter Clifford J. Levy called them "psychiatric flophouses." A lawsuit was brought that year by advocates including the Bazelon Center...
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News: Re-entry programs needed after jail
Finding a better way to work with mentally ill people leaving jail and prison needs to be addressed, said Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) during a meeting at the Brookings Institution discussing re-entry programs. He also called attention to the failure to distinguish between crime and illness: "It's not a crime to be mentally ill. It's not a crime to be addicted to drugs. It is a crime to live by violence and to extort money from people who are trying...
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News: Housing crisis for homeless, vets
iStock photo Cities are struggling to provide housing for their homeless men and women, and in Seattle a controversy over whether to rebuild or repair is delaying this longer. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that 200 people were shut out of boarding houses they had lived in for up to 30 years, waiting lists are 800 names deep, and 100 people are backed up in the hospital while waiting for a place in the community. In North Carolina, there is a...
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Commentary: A proposal for transitional crisis beds
by Sol Wachtler

The opportunities afforded by court diversion programs could be enhanced with stable community housing. Judge Sol Wachtler writes about an innovative proposal to transform vacancies in closed hospitals into housing, enabling mentally ill defendants to move forward with their court-supervised treatments.
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News: Milwaukee addresses housing, services
Milwaukee’s planning commission gave a green light to building 48 supervised apartments for people with mental illness on controversial riverfront property. Mental health services are also being debated in a local election for county executive. Last year, following a yearlong series in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,"Abandoning our Mentally Ill," Gov. Jim Doyle earmarked $11 million for housing. The 2006 series exposed vermin-infested, substandard living conditions and the death of one man that went undetected for four days....
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News: $1.5 billion for housing homeless
HUD announced it will grant $1.5 billion to nearly 6,000 housing and service programs working with people who are homeless. Nearly one-quarter of all homeless persons are veterans, and roughly 45 percent are mentally ill, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. In an unrelated story, NOW repeated a broadcast about about Pathways to Housing which helps find housing and services for people who are homeless, mentally ill, and often substance abusers. Not only is their program comprehensive and...
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Consider This: Florida calls for end of trans-institutionalization
by Phyllis Vine


A bold report to Florida's governor recommends sweeping changes to address failures in the criminal justice and mental health system. “Transforming Florida’s Mental Health System" can guide significant reform.


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News: Home, not hospitalized, in Australian project
A demonstration project in Australia, working with 24 mentally ill people in their homes, has reduced hospitalization from 356 to 28 days in one year, according to a report from Australian Broadcasting System. A spokesperson for the charity Mission Australia said, "the program is based around spending time with people to make sure they keep their links with their community." It is a promising model to prevent homelessness and help people avoid committing petty lawbreaking offenses. About 10 percent of...
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Links: Government Resources
Information about public resources, medication, legislation, or policy.
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News: New York City's Brad H. Settlement
by Jennifer J. Parish
As a result of class action lawsuit challenging the New York City for its failure to provide discharge planning for people with mental illness leaving jail, the Court mandated monitoring to track compliance. Jennifer Parish,one of the monitors of the case known as Brad H., testified the the "City is out of compliance with cetain basic provisions."
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Commentary: Decriminalizing Mental Illness -- Reframing Solutions
by Jennifer J. Parish
Jails have become the de-facto hospitals for people with mental illness. Most would never have been arrested had they been receiving treatment, including proper housing or social supports. Attorney Jennifer J. Parish explains why it is essential to decriminalize mental illness now.
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