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There have been several news articles recently about the problems faced by people who are homeless in Chautauqua County. Much of the news has been about where they are being housed…usually in older and underused hotels.
Whether we like it or not, the provider of last resort is the county…that means county taxpayers are "on the hook" for paying for it. There is some state aid to assist--but the burden of addressing the problem falls on the county.
"Homelessness," of course, is a broad term. In some cases, people become homeless when they can't afford to pay their rent. However, in most cases, it is related to mental health or drug addiction issues.
This being the case, you can't effectively deal with homelessness without addressing the underlying problem. Just putting a "roof over their head" does not address underlying causes.
In some ways, I think, state government has exacerbated the problem. Back when I was a kid, there were institutional hospitals, like Gowanda, where mental health care and housing were provided for those who couldn't care for themselves. Now, in the name of democracy and individual rights, most of the treatment for the mentally ill has been deinstitutionalized.
That may sound good as there is now a better understanding of mental illness and new drugs have been developed to treat it. Yet, that does not mean that a person suffering from mental illness will, on their own, take their prescription drugs or take care of themselves. Often mental illness is accompanied by the belief that "well I am okay now…I don't need these prescription drugs anymore." When that happens, those suffering can easily relapse and slide back--and then they can be back on the street and homeless again. It can be a vicious cycle.
Maybe we need to go back, just a bit, to deal with such problems institutionally. We are not benefitting the mentally ill when we put them in a position to fail. This may sound harsh and in the category of "hard love," but to properly care for such people when they can't take care of themselves is a public obligation.
If such action is taken, proper safeguards need to be in place including the opinions of psychiatrists and other medical experts. Likely a court order would also be required, especially if there is no family to request it.
But, to let people who are homeless and who no longer can care for themselves, be caught up in an endless cycle of trying to live in camps, under bridges, or even in a government-paid-for hotel room…just seems wrong to me.
When people can no longer take care of themselves, society has an obligation to provide a beneficial long-term solution to their plight.
Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident.