It’s been a while since the topic of mental health and addiction treatment options were discussed in earnest in our region.

The time has come to push, again, for more treatment options.

It’s telling that of all the issues that have driven the increase in Jamestown’s growing homeless population it was mental health that was largely singled out for additional action by Jamestown officials. While rising housing costs, a cost of living that has risen faster than wages and a lack of housing supply all play a role in the issue, it was mental health and addiction issues that the city sees as the quickest fix.

So let’s start there.

City officials say some of the homeless could be helped by a simple change in state law to have transportation arrangements from mental health evaluations at UPMC Chautauqua paid for the same way transportation arrangements are paid for those coming to Jamestown for mental health screenings. That should be simple enough. Frankly, we can’t understand why it wasn’t done the day after state officials read the city’s declaration of a state of emergency.

We have long needed additional treatment facilities for mental health issues. For every 10 beds we open there are dozens that are still being sent to Buffalo, where there are more facilities, or put on a waiting list. State officials loudly trumpeted the inclusion of Crisis Stabilization Centers a couple of years ago. Crisis Stabilization Centers are specialized facilities designed to provide immediate, short-term intervention and stabilization for individuals in the midst of a mental health crisis. The centers aim to create a secure and supportive environment where individuals can receive urgent care, undergo assessment, and stabilize before moving on to long-term treatment or returning to their community. There was a lot of hope when Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the centers, even though the closest to Jamestown would have been in Buffalo. But the center has yet to open.

Both situations are indicative of a bigger problem. Everyone agrees Western New York needs more facilities to help those dealing with mental illness and addiction. But progress has been painfully slow.

There are fewer visible homeless than there were the day Mayor Kim Ecklund declared a state of emergency. But let’s not think the problem is solved. County agencies and its partners with the Chautauqua County Homeless Coalition have conducted outreach to get some of the homeless into temporary housing. Some of the homeless have retreated further into hard-to-reach woods and other nooks and crannies of the greater Jamestown area. Unlike 2022, when we tried to put a bandaid on the homeless problem with Code Blue shelters, we need to push the state to work with us on solutions.

Let’s start with mental health and addiction treatment. Then let’s move on to housing costs and supply.