Introduction In the reading, Mental Disorders Keep Thousands of Homeless on Streets, Rick Jervis (n.d.) describes the astonishing soaring number of homeless whom occupies the streets of many areas. He discusses the various mental illnesses and challenges facing the homeless each day. Jervis (n.d.) outlined programs that have been developed to, first and foremost, get the homeless housing, where they can then proceed to seek treatment for their mental illness and addictions. There is also mention of multiple studies that have been conducted that have proven the successfulness of these programs.
Critique
On the first page of Jervis (n.d.), I am astonished to learn that there are 610,000 homeless people across the United States. I was even more surprised to learn that more than 124,000 of the homeless suffer from a severe mental illness. This is an outrageous number of people who not only suffer from a condition they have no physical control over, but also have to contend with the struggles of being homeless. I cannot help but wonder why the family members of the homeless have not tried harder to get their loved ones help; instead they have abandoned them. Before reading Jervis (n.d.), I had critically looked at some homeless people as lazy and unwilling to help themselves. …show more content…
In one year, the homeless who suffer from mental illness costs local, state, and federal agencies millions of dollars as they cycle through jail cells and hospital beds. Another area of Jervis (n.d.) states that over the past four years, the housing first system has saved the city and county and estimated average of $10 million a year. In a study conducted in 2002, $40,451 in services was spent on those who remained on the streets and suffered from mental illness. However, $17,277 was spent on those who were placed in supportive
Critique
On the first page of Jervis (n.d.), I am astonished to learn that there are 610,000 homeless people across the United States. I was even more surprised to learn that more than 124,000 of the homeless suffer from a severe mental illness. This is an outrageous number of people who not only suffer from a condition they have no physical control over, but also have to contend with the struggles of being homeless. I cannot help but wonder why the family members of the homeless have not tried harder to get their loved ones help; instead they have abandoned them. Before reading Jervis (n.d.), I had critically looked at some homeless people as lazy and unwilling to help themselves. …show more content…
In one year, the homeless who suffer from mental illness costs local, state, and federal agencies millions of dollars as they cycle through jail cells and hospital beds. Another area of Jervis (n.d.) states that over the past four years, the housing first system has saved the city and county and estimated average of $10 million a year. In a study conducted in 2002, $40,451 in services was spent on those who remained on the streets and suffered from mental illness. However, $17,277 was spent on those who were placed in supportive