Board Sets Goals for Mental Health Care

County supervisors on Tuesday adopted goals for increasing housing options for the mentally ill, calling for the addition of as many as 250 beds over five years.

More beds are needed to stop a “revolving door” through which many mentally ill patients move from the county’s public hospital and onto the streets only to be readmitted a short time later for more costly treatment, said Dr. David Gudeman, the county’s mental health chief.

“Permanent supported housing will be a benefit to the entire community,” Gudeman told the Board of Supervisors.

The board’s unanimous adoption of expansion recommendations demonstrates the county’s renewed commitment to the chronic housing shortage problem, said Supervisor John K. Flynn.

The Ventura County Mental Health Board has recommended the creation of a five-year plan outlining where beds should be added, what support services should come with them and where the estimated $5 million needed to complete the expansion would come from.

Gudeman is expected to present the board with more detailed plans in about two weeks.

In his report to supervisors, Gudeman estimated that there are 1,000 homeless mentally ill people living in Ventura County. The Behavioral Health Department provides some form of assistance to about 2,500 mentally ill adults each year.