What “Housing First” really means
Why housing is part of treatment
Common criticisms of Housing First
Evidence and success stories next
The close of February offered a close-to-home perspective and early roots of how one might end up homeless. As we reflect today on what, why, and how housing first works, a dear friend comes to mind –Tall Jimmy. He liked to share, during our group meetings words worthy of contemplation: “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change.” To continue along the lines of Tall Jimmy’s insightfulness and continue along the path of that unhoused, young man’s journey, let’s take a gander at a major contributing systemic follow-up fumble: Deinstitutionalization. Housing first works and is ethically warranted.
Effectively managing cases of mental illness requires a save and warm place to sleep! Psychiatric wards and prison cells fail us miserably in this regard. We have already learned they are way too expensive, or have you forgotten? The stumbling of the late seventies is when our social infrastructure stopped nurturing ideology behind Deinstitutionalization. This became fertile grounds for today’s homeless crisis. The Transient Stress Model, a collaborative social construct attempting to inform us, fell by the wayside, or possibly was intentionally derailed via distraction.
Dohrenwend, B. S. (1978). Social stress and community psychology. American Journal of Community Psychology, 6(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00890095
Pharmaceutical gurus took over the billboards. New and improved drugs hit the charts, and it was game on! The more commonplace DIY medications, like alcohol, heroin, cocaine, and LSD, entered the arena with big pharma’s heavy hitters. They were duking it out for our money now! Sadly, the imposing clout pharmaceuticals gained from the deinstitutionalizing platform left our roots by the wayside.
Great, now we have deinstitutionalized, psychologically challenged people all over the place being overmedicated, undermedicated, mis medicated social butterflies. As they attempt to conform and fit in with the crowd – BAM – disenfranchised, rejected, and abandoned is what they get. What do you think of them roots now? All the while, freedom from clowns holding a safety net, like housing first, when they fall from that highwire act, swoosh – homeless! Being numb to it all sounds appealing, do you think? I hope this dribble helps change the way you look at things! Some folks look at money as what life is all about, while we see life as what money is all about and it doesn’t buy happiness.
What do you see in Emily's artwork? This one had Doc wondering, so he had to ask her. At first, he thought, "don't drink the cool aid!" It's a cupcake, duh.
In closing, Bill sent over another inspirational article about Ms. Susan Mead, acknowledging her dedication and commitment to the deinstitutionalization paradigm. Thank you Mr. Tell and Ms. Mead! Maybe the Franny Foye Research Foundation can become a place for us retirees to continue contributing to our passions: Jim O’ Connell, MD, w/ Susan Mead, MA, w/Doc LaBranche, PhD and any others interested in housing first. In Jim’s words: “You can’t give something to everybody asking but you can acknowledge everybody,” he said. “You can say, ‘hello, sorry, I don’t have anything for you today but how are you doing.”
Which holds the crown for the greater impact contributing to our homelessness crisis, stigma or decadence? We’d love to hear from you…