He'd sleep through the day because he was too terrified to sleep at night. It was terrible. We kept on doing this and feeling that the only way to make this broken system work was if we did all the case management. To make supported housing work, mental health experts say, the state needs to bolster its job-training and day programs for the mentally ill. More social workers are needed to provide case management.
Transportation is crucial, particularly in rural areas.
In recent years, though, federal, state and county funding to the state's 39 mental health offices has declined, in some cases dramatically. And they've hired 16 people to help local mental health offices find housing for the mentally ill. Carol Teal, executive director of the nonprofit Friends of Residents of Long-Term Care, hopes that's just a first step.