Every day on my way to work, I drive and walk past numerous homeless people; many seem to have some sort of mental impairment. Does anyone know how many homeless people have mental illness? The situation appears to be getting worse. Is it because there’s no public money to keep people in the hospital or because people don’t want help? Can people living on the street be forced into some sort of treatment facility?

Our 2001 Census of Missouri Shelter Providers for Homeless People confirms your observation. There has been an alarming increase in all categories of homelessness. From 1998 to 2001, Missouri’s average daily census increased from 11,500 to 16,400 in shelters alone. When considering all the people who experienced homelessness over the course of the year, the number grew from 62,650 to 87,250. Annually, children between the ages of one day and three years form the largest cohort.

In 2001, Missouri shelter operators estimated that approximately 38% of the clients had a severe mental illness (72% with severe mental illness and/or addicted to drugs/alcohol). Mental illness is even more prevalent among those who live on the streets. Persons with chronic mental problems tend to be homeless long-term, while persons without chronic problems tend to cycle through homelessness. The percentage of all persons experiencing homelessness annually with severe mental illness or substance abuse problems tends to be about 25%. In the prosperous year of 1998, 15% to 20% of the general population did not have access to wages that could secure housing. Those without social supports and who had the most serious personal liabilities became homeless. Government help has been withdrawn. Now through May, state budget discussions will profoundly affect these issues. We know that the vast majority of people with mental illness and/or substance abuse problems are housed. Persons with these problems who lack general financial, family or personal resources are the ones who become homeless, and homelessness itself is such a traumatic experience that people can develop psychological and/or substance abuse problems as a result.

Tom Gould
Western Coordinator
MO Association for Social Welfare

People who are mentally ill and homeless do want help. They may not want help in the way we, as the majority, want to give it! The key to any change lies in building healthy relationships that result in slow, almost imperceptible steps on the part of the person changing their life. Forcing people off the street who are not a danger to themselves or to others does not further this relationship-building approach. St. Patrick Center’s Mobile Outreach Team has helped countless people suffering from mental illness with this approach. This has resulted in increases in day program attendance, drug and alcohol treatment programs, housing referrals, job training classes and outpatient psychiatric support. As many as 475 people participate daily in St. Patrick Center’s programs that are specifically designed to affect permanent and positive change in their lives. This statistic alone attests to the desire for change on the part of our most vulnerable neighbors – mentally ill, homeless persons.

Ann Rotermund
St. Patrick Center
St. Louis, MO

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