Plight of the Mentally Ill Homeless in L.A.

Boyarsky’s article ignores the fact that the current state bill funding mental health, AB 2541, specifically allocates $20 million for the homeless mentally ill. Also, this budget item will remain in future state bills appropriating mental health funds.

Gov. George Deukmejian, unlike his three predecessors, has added hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade the state mental hospitals physically and to add 630 new treatment professionals over a three-year period.

Boyarsky mentions that community mental health programs need a lift now. He sounds again unaware that this year’s budget for mental health includes a $100-million boost, over last year, that brings the total for community programs to $461 million. This is more than half of the $800 million total budget for the state’s Department of Mental Health.

Boyarsky also mentions that drinking, drugs and mental illness have sent many to the streets homeless. The statistics are showing that the median age for the homeless has gotten younger, and this is accompanied with a rise in suicide. To address this, in part, $400,000 of this year’s budget is designated for a “Youth Suicide Prevention” program. It began this fiscal year and will receive a new allocation during the next two.

The need to reach out for mental health services is still considered generally negative cross-culturally. Boyarsky’s piece perpetuates that stigma and causes the reader to view the available services as disorganized, inadequate and basically as something that should be looked down upon. This simply is not the case.

This state Administration has proven itself in working hard to upgrade the mental health services, especially the state mental hospitals, and nobody can argue to the contrary.

RICHARD A. YANEZ

Chatsworth