The homeless issue

EDITOR:

I am extremely frustrated about the homeless problem. They are everywhere: sidewalks, parks, El Dorado Trail, libraries, college campus, senior center, etc. They look sad, forlorn, unwanted and hopeless. I am angry and sad because we are a country of great wealth and yet, when we closed the mental hospitals, we did a huge disservice to many of our most vulnerable citizens. (It is estimated that about ¾ of the homeless suffer from serious mental illnesses.) We have exacerbated the problem by not building enough affordable housing.

Recently, when it was pouring rain, I saw a homeless man slumped up against the front of Rite-Aid. He was hunkered down trying to stay warm. Next to him was an elderly lady on her back talking to herself and waving her hands and feet in the air. What has this nation come to? Not only do we have a moral obligation to intervene but there are serious economic downsides if we don't. We rely heavily on tourism - what will happen when visitors start staying away? What about property values? Who wants to live in a place that lets this continue?

From attending several Mental Health Commission (MHC) meetings, I learned that we are running a large surplus of Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) money that is supposed to go toward helping those with serious mental illnesses. So why is so little of that money going to help the homeless? And, our surplus may be at risk because the state is looking at how much surplus counties should be allowed to carry.

In addition, we spend countless dollars warehousing our mentally ill in jail. (By some estimates, more than half of inmates have mental illness and/or substance abuse issues.) There are solutions. The MHC has been pushing our Probation Department to implement recommendations in the Stepping Up Initiative stepuptogether.org/ and the state's "Together We Can" report mhsoac.ca.gov/document/2017-12/criminal-justice-and-mental-health-project-report).

Why is Probation dragging its feet? Is it because by implementing these measures, we can reduce our approximately 70 percent recidivism rate, reduce officers and thus save taxpayer money?

When temperatures went below freezing, I wondered where the homeless went? Three churches offer shelter only three nights a week. The county and city did not open a warming center. Yet we have vacant public buildings including the district attorney's old offices, house on Perk's Court and underused fairgrounds buildings.