Housing for the Mentally Ill

Ventura County has a housing crisis, bred of neglect and rejection of those least able to speak for themselves. The homeless or inadequately housed mentally ill in Ventura County need decent housing and they need it now.

We at the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) of Ventura County decry the cavalier and arbitrary placement of the mentally ill in temporary and potentially dangerous settings. We support and insist upon a range of health-care options with medical supervision--from on-site, live-in support to day-care and sheltered workshops.

The illegal and ill-advised attempt by Ventura County to merge its behavioral health (mental health) and social services agencies is symptomatic of misunderstandings about the nature of mental illness and the needs of those suffering from brain disorders.

A world of difference exists between the needs of those with medically debilitating diseases of the brain and those with the difficult but more transitory problems of the welfare population. This does not mean NAMI of Ventura County fails to encourage the social model needed for developing the life of a person suffering with a mental illness to its fullest potential. The social and medical models are inseparable.

We support the system of treatment that was described by Dr. Robert Liberman in his Jan. 24 article written for The Times.

While encouraging those with mental illness to be as independent and capable as their condition allows, we must consider the portion of the mentally ill population who do not respond to treatment and who cannot hold down a job or live independently. The seriously mentally ill, as well as psychotic individuals, should be cared for by trained medical personnel and not prematurely dumped back into the community.

NAMI of Ventura County has teamed up with the Mental Health Coalition and the Business Digest to educate the community about mental illness and the needs of the homeless mentally ill. We are lobbying for an action plan. We hope those who would like information or would like to make a difference will plan to attend all or part of the Call to Action regional conference and luncheon Feb. 18 at the Four Points Sheraton at Ventura Harbor. Keynote speaker will be Stephen Seager, psychiatrist and author of “Street Crazy: The Tragedy of the Homeless Mentally Ill.” For information, call 648-2006.

It’s time to stop the revolving door and begin meeting the most basic needs of our mentally ill friends, brothers, sisters, parents and children.

ED NANI, President, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Ventura County, Westlake Village