10,000+ In Western NC Losing Mental Health Services
Some of Western North Carolina’s mental health patients could be left without care in October when the region’s largest provider closes its doors, the company’s chief executive said today.
Will Callison, chief executive officer of New Vistas – Mountain Laurel, said people who rely on state funds to pay for their mental health care instead of Medicare, Medicaid or insurance might have no where to turn after Oct. 31.
“I think there is that possibility,” he said. “This is a large transition.”
Callison also said the future of his company’s 700 employees is unclear. The company is the “safety net” provider for an eight county area, meaning it takes patients other providers will not. Callison said it serves about 10,500 people.
Callison said the state mental health reform model is partly to blame for his company’s demise.
More here.
I heard this devastating news at a conference yesterday. The worst is yet to come, I fear.
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My Computer Is Sick
My computer is sick, so it went to the doctor this morning. I’m using my daughter’s computer to do a quick email check, but I’ll be mostly offline for a least a couple of days. 
Oh well, I have a full schedule today and tomorrow anyway: Task Force meeting, meeting with cops (about Task Force business), NightWatch meeting, Homeless Advisory Committee meeting, Healthy Homes Bus Tour, City Academy, Substance Abuse Symposium and NightWatch. So look for reports on all (or at least some!) of that, coming soon. Oh, I’m having a birthday, too, so pray that I don’t have to buy myself a computer for my birthday! Because it would have to be some kind of Fisher-Price one on my current budget. LOL. Me and the computer guy spoke some Scripture over mine, so we’ll see how it goes. 
Update: All better. Rebuilt and working well. And for less than I expected. Need a computer doc? I highly recommend Terry at BCU Computers! 
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Cops Train to Respond to Mental Health Crisis
As officials continue to move mentally ill folks out of state facilities and into local communities that are often ill-prepared to care for them, Wake County is training law enforcement officers “to recognize symptoms of mental illness and defuse problems without violence… [S]tate and county mental health officials, advocates for the mentally ill and law enforcement agencies have teamed up to offer a voluntary 40-hour training program in crisis intervention.”
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On Panhandling & Chronic Homelessness In Greensboro
Beth at Greensboring wrote a recent post about her encounter with a homeless panhandler on High Point Road. She wasn’t sure how to handle the situation, but she chose to buy the man breakfast. Great choice, and the one that I most often encourage people to do. If someone tells you they’re hungry, and you’re willing and able to give them something to eat, then by all means, do so.
I read Beth’s post yesterday afternoon, after having a similar encounter on Tate Street. My son and I usually eat at Manhattan Pizza (best turkey sub in town!) or New York Pizza (best white veggie pizza in town!) after church on Sundays, and we visit with our homeless friends who frequent the area. Yesterday, we ran into a couple of new guys, and I bought them lunch and gave them a list of phone numbers to call about some longer-term solutions to the issues they’re facing. They’re camping in the woods for now, and we’ll hopefully meet up with them on NightWatch this week.
Back to Beth… We did the same thing. She bought the guy the best, not the least. She resisted the urge to get something cheap and she bought him what she was having. Even though she had second thoughts. Me, too. When I went to buy lunch for the two new guys, they both asked for “any kind” of sandwich. I could have gone in and bought two of the least expensive sandwiches and they would have been grateful. And frankly, I was asking myself, “How much extra money do I have this week?” But then I thought, “If Jesus had just asked me for a sandwich, would I be standing here thinking about how much money I have in the bank?” And then I felt ashamed. Because Matthew 25 says I was feeding Jesus. So I bought combo meals for both of them, and cookies. (Full disclosure: Yes, I got a cookie for me and my son, too. *grin*) Beth wrote about her own similar conflicting thoughts. I think it’s important for people to realize that we all fight with our flesh when we have the opportunity to do good, but we have to ignore those “me first!” thoughts and just go ahead and do the right thing.
I really appreciated what Beth shared about her encounter and her choices, but I also wanted to respond further to some things she mentioned in her post and her comments, just to clarify:
Beth: “We seem to almost welcome them, offering licenses to beg… It is now a beggars paradise where we enable these individuals to do so.”
Me: I think that the point of the license was not to encourage panhandling, but to regulate it. And people get arrested all the time for violating it. That said, I think panhandling (with a sign, for money) is a really bad idea and I think that once you license something, you’re saying it’s OK. So if it were up to me (and it’s not), there would be no license. It would just be illegal, period. (Yes, I realize how unpopular that opinion is with many of my homeless friends.) Now, if someone wants to say, “I’m hungry, will you buy me something to eat?,” that’s fine with me and I can say “yes” or “no.” And if they want to ask me to bum a cigarette, they can endure my lecture on how much God loves their body. (Strongly worded, but often delivered with a hug at the end.)
Beth: “Sure they say they want to end homelessness in 10 years. But somehow, that sounds more like a PR moral “[bs]” then true commitment to change.”
Me: A lot of people feel that way until they know more. The actual goal is to end chronic homelessness, which is 10-15% of those who are homeless, and they are the folks who you see on the street. Read my post: “Understanding the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness.” Ask me questions. Check the Task Force web site. If we do it right (key!), I think we can have a huge impact. Although, I’d reword it to say that we can end most chronic homelessness by 2016. People still get to choose, no matter how we plan.
Beth: “Even Cara Michelle [sic] says they’ve tried to help individuals get off the street, but alot of them “arn’t [sic] ready” (don’t want to) to give up the lifestyle.”
Me: To clarify, “not ready” is not about giving up a “lifestyle.” It means they’re not ready (yet) to address the underlying issues that are keeping them homeless. Many of the homeless panhandlers in the areas you’re referring to are chronically homeless folks whose primary issues include addiction and mental illness, not “lifestyle” choices. There are many reasons why an individual might not be ready to enter treatment, and two of the most frequent I encounter are fear of change and lack of hope. One of the more controversial approaches used in some Ten Year Plans is to go ahead and offer housing to chronically homeless folks, whether or not they choose to receive treatment for mental illness or substance abuse. It is simply more cost-effective for them to be housed, whether they are treated or not. As a Christian, I have huge problems with this. But that’s another post… another time.
Beth: “Are we enabling them to hurt themselves because we’re to worried about requiring them to seek assistance for food and money through government assistance?”
Me: There is no “money” available from the government for the folks you’re talking about, other than disability from Social Security or the VA for those who have a qualifying disabling condition. (Some mental illnesses qualify, some don’t. Addiction does not qualify as a disability for Social Security.) Those who get disability benefits often qualify for food stamps, too, but if you’re not disabled (and you have no children living with you), I believe that you can only get food stamps for a few months and then there are employment requirements.
Beth: “The argument against that is, some can’t help it… but Cara insists groups such as hers have offered. Isn’t there something to be said about charity for someone picking and choosing at the expense of those who give?”
Me: Don’t misunderstand what it is that we have to offer, at least right now. Emergency shelters remain full year-round, and even when beds become available, that’s only a temporary solution. (A couple of months, on average.) Our current mental health system fails to adequately serve chronically homeless people. We do not have a local source for comprehensive, clinical substance abuse treatment, so if folks are ready to rehab, we may send them out of town or out of state to do so, for up to two years. (And many are not ready to take this step.) And we have a serious shortage of permanent supportive housing, which is now recognized as the most effective option to serve the chronically homeless.
So we have very little get-off-the-street-today help for chronically homeless people. When and if a chronically homeless individual is ready and willing to move toward wholeness and stability, we point them toward multiple resources to begin addressing their issues. Getting off the street is not an immediate process, at least not yet. And make no mistake, many homeless folks in this community lack hope for their future, and that is a powerful disincentive to begin the process of seeking assistance. When you’re on the street and you look around and see the same folks on the block day after day and year after year, you figure you’re not going anywhere either. It’s hard to be ready to do something you don’t see anybody else doing. How do you believe you can escape when no one else seems to get out?
But some are getting out. And there is hope. I am encouraged by the examples of the folks I know personally who have made it from the street to stability. Some of those people are doing outreach through NightWatch, and sharing that hope and the story of how God makes a way, even when there’s no way. Some of those people are working in other homeless service programs. People can and do make it off the street. And I believe that more people will escape the street as we continue to provide more tools for their success. I’m excited about the possibilities that will come from the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness. I am really hoping for more permanent supportive options!
There are personal choices that people make that lead to their circumstances. But there are also choices that we make, or don’t make, as a community that impact people’s circumstances, and impact their ability to avoid or escape their circumstances. Who is responsible for that homeless panhandler on High Point Road? He is. I am. You are. It’s we.
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Stand Down
Lex covered the Stand Down for homeless veterans in Greensboro on Friday. (Lex’s N&R article is here. My previous post is here.)
Of the 102 vets who came, 74 enrolled in Veterans Affairs’ homeless program, said Mark Byrd, a social worker at the Salisbury hospital, who helped organize the event.That program assigns each homeless veteran a case manager who helps him get whatever benefits he might be entitled to.
“Some vets don’t even know what they qualify for,” Byrd said.
Tell me about it. I knew the statistics on homelessness and veterans before I started doing street outreach, but still, seeing men who’ve served our country living in the woods and in abandoned buildings and going without needed care is just shocking. Shocking and sad. I’m grateful for those who are doing something about it.
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Meme Tagged
Tagged by PotatoStew:
1: Do you like the look and the contents of your blog?
At the moment, yes, although I’ve changed both a few times. And my next big change will probably be a switch from Blogger to WordPress.
2: Does your family know about your blog?
Yep. And they’re bored by it. [My daughter adds: “Ah, yeah.”]
3: Can you tell your friends about your blog? Do you consider it a private thing?
It’s public and I tell both friends and strangers.
4: Do you just read the blogs of those who comment on your blog? O do you try to discover new blogs?
I scan Greensboro 101 often, and when I have time, I read through my Bloglines.
5: Did your blog positively affect your mind? Give an example.
Yes. Homeless ministry can be intense and emotional, and blogging is a good outlet for it. Like when I worry about my friends on the street and I can’t instantly solve all their problems, so sometimes it helps to write about it. (One example is here.)
6: What does the number of visitors to your blog mean? Do you use a traffic counter?
The first part of that is self-explanatory, isn’t it? And yes, I use two.
7: Did you imagine how other bloggers look like?
No. That’s weird.
8: Do you think blogging has any real benefit?
Done well, it’s a great way to share information and build community.
9: Do you think that the Blogsphere is a stand alone community separated from the real world?
Has anyone ever answered “yes” to that? I hope not. Because that would be sad. Desparate. Pathetic. And honestly, a little bit funny in the kind of way where you have to look away and giggle because you don’t want to admit that you just laughed at something that tragic. And p.s., the word “Blogosphere” is such an eyeroller. Blogging is not a superpower, y’all.
10: Do some political blogs scare you? Do you avoid them?
No and yes.
11. Do you think that criticizing your blog is useful?
Constructive criticism can be useful.
12: Have you ever thought about what happen to your blog in case you died?
No. Wow. [If my face froze in this expression…]
13: Which blogger had the greatest impression on you?
Sean Coon. Had and has. He doesn’t just blog. He believes.
14: Which blogger you think is the most similar to you?
Hmmm…. No one springs to mind.
15: Name a song you want to listen to.
“Keep Singing,” by MercyMe. (You can hear it playing in the background on the Pete & Ricky video.)
* * * * *
Now I’m tagging some Greensboro folks:
Sean
Darkmoon
Troublemaker
Matt
Dayna
And an out-of-town shout-out to Katharine.
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Happy 19th Grace!!
Grace Community Church turned 19 this week and we had an anniversary service outside under the trees. The worship team led us in music, teaching Pastor Bill Goans preached from Ephesians, a train rolled by during the sermon (awesome!), we had lunch on the lawn, then we were entertained by the Glenwood Dance Team and “the twins” who sang for us.
We invited a lot of folks during NightWatch Friday night, and many of them showed up. It was good day.
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