Consider the data

We received some very wise advice recently - what's the data on the problem we are trying to solve? Turns out it is not hard to find, there's more information than can be reasonably summarized in a single blog. Here's some compelling information (Information and quotes from the linked articles, although we have added emphasis):

• "People with untreated psychiatric illnesses constitute one-third, or approximately 250,000, of the estimated 744,000 homeless population."  (Treatment Advocacy Center, 2011)
  
• "One-third of visits to emergency rooms are by the homeless and the annual costs range from $18,500-$44,400 a year" (Green Doors)
• Salt Lake City did a study that showed the average cost to taxpayers for each homeless person was $20,000 a year. Giving them a home and services costs $8,000/year. Colorado did a similar study and each individual went from $43,000/year to $17,000/year (paraphrased from The New Yorker, September 2014)
• "2006 study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that over half of all jail and prison inmates have mental health issues; an estimated 1.25 million suffered from mental illness, over four times the number in 1998". (Huffington Post, Sept 2013)
  

Here at The Living Assistance Fund we continue to explore ways to help and support these broader solutions. In the meantime, our fund raising focuses on helping individuals and families BEFORE someone becomes homeless or ends up in jail. On the short term, that looks more expensive (3 months of care might cost the same as a year on the streets), but this is only partially a monetary effort. For one thing, few people are only homeless or imprisoned for one year. For another, if that entire experience can be avoided that is hugely better for the individual and their family.  Help us or help one of these organizations. Raise consciousness about the real price we are paying, as a society, by turning a blind eye to the lack of care for our most severely mentally ill. Use Twitter, Facebook, tell your friends!