'Vicious cycle' of mental illness, homelessness can be stopped with help of empathy |Opinion

Samantha Shuler
·4 min read
3
Permanent housing has long eluded James Stephens, who said he's done stints in prison and struggled with drug addiction for years.
Permanent housing has long eluded James Stephens, who said he's done stints in prison and struggled with drug addiction for years.

Samantha Shuler is CEO of Community Housing Network.

A single mental health issue can have a cascading impact across our society, and when our community comes together and commits to solving that root issue, the dividends span across our community.

More: 'It's OK to not be OK.' Talking about stress erases stigma of seeking mental health help.

At Community Housing Network, we see this problem (and solution) through the lens of homelessness. Since 1987, CHN has provided nearly 10,000 households with homes, extending stability and wellness through generations.

More than 80% of the people we serve experience mental illness.

That is more than twice the amount of people we serve dealing with chronic physical issues or substance abuse.

A traumatic crisis, abuse, or loss is likely to spark a mental health issue, in turn increasing the risk of becoming homeless.

More: After being without a house for 11 years, Columbus man enjoys being home for the holidays

According to a 2015 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development study, In the United States, 45% of people who become homeless experience mental illness, and once a person loses shelter, the risk of worsening mental illness dramatically rises. So too does harm from substance abuse, sexual assault, and criminal behavior.

More: New apartments give homeless youth a place of their own

It’s a frightening descent that one person often can’t slow on their own.

Mental illness may cause behaviors that landlords or neighbors deem unacceptable, causing people to ping-pong from temporary fixes to the street and back.

Add a pandemic and it’s easy to see why so many are so close to crisis.

Samantha Shuler is CEO of Community Housing Network.
Samantha Shuler is CEO of Community Housing Network.

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To slow down this vicious cycle, we must work together. It starts with empathy.

Empathy helps us see past the stigma of mental illness and instead see someone who’s health has been so compromised, they’ve lost everything.

When we connect to people experiencing homelessness and appreciate their resolve and resilience, it builds courage and empowers change.

When we truly see someone and welcome them, we can all offer a spark of support that helps start them on their journey back to health. A spark is a start; we must also realize the journey is long.

At Community Housing Network, residents can stay until they feel well and ready to move forward. That’s two to four years on average because we do everything we can to support them in staying housed and getting healthy over the long-term.

More: Volunteers at Near East Side homeless camp seek funds to help provide resources, dignity

With stable housing, they can receive the regular healthcare, treatment, or medication they need to stabilize their mental health. That allows addiction counseling to help them stay clean. That makes it easier for skills training to lead to meaningful work.  We connect the dots from case management to counseling to treatment to transportation.

After years of anguish and homelessness, Emmanuel Kendrick is all smiles in his new apartment in the new Marsh Brook Place on the Southeast Side. Community Housing Network is the developer, owner and property manager of the complex.
After years of anguish and homelessness, Emmanuel Kendrick is all smiles in his new apartment in the new Marsh Brook Place on the Southeast Side. Community Housing Network is the developer, owner and property manager of the complex.

Our 1,400+ units allow residents to feel safe and comforted, knowing they have a place to rest, recover, and reset. We also have a sliding scale to ensure housing is affordable.

More: Columbus, Franklin County to receive nearly $20M in federal funds to help homeless

We know that what we do works. Between 2015 and 2020, 96% of Community Housing Network residents maintained permanent housing, and 98% of those who moved out had not returned to homelessness at the three-month mark. This saves lives, eases the strain on social services, and even cuts healthcare costs.

We figured out a way to stop the frightening descent.

You can also help prevent the spiral from restarting by supporting policies to improve our mental health care system. Mental health is key to our overall health, and when you address this root issue, you also combat the risk of addiction, family violence, trafficking, and homelessness at the same time.

More: Franklin County homeless shelter population up, challenged by lack of affordable housing

The correlation is clear, and the chance of falling into that cycle could happen to any of us.

What we do know is that home is where healing starts.

When someone has a home of their own, they are reminded that their life is their own. They are reminded that they can attain security and stability.

They are reminded that they have opportunities to make choices and progress.

Samantha Shuler is CEO of Community Housing Network.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Opinion: Stable housing puts mentally ill homeless on road to recovery