Most are aware that homelessness and mental health are presenting as a two-fold crisis on the streets of Los Angeles County.
In short, it’s not enough just to find housing for the 75,312 homeless people in the county. That’s because surveys indicated at least 25% of the unhoused on the streets have a serious mental illness, such as psychotic disorders and schizophrenia. Thus, housing without behavioral treatment won’t be successful, experts say.
To help address both problems, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday, Sept. 22, signed Senate Bill 1336, which frees up L.A. County to transform seven vacant buildings at the Metropolitan State Hospital campus in Norwalk into shelters for those removed from the streets, while also providing mental health treatment facilities.
“We are battling a mental health crisis, and we desperately need places where we can treat and house people who are struggling,” said Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn. “These buildings are doing no one any good sitting empty.”
A recent lawsuit brought by the Los Angeles Alliance for Human Rights against L.A. County and L.A. city and a resulting settlement required the county to create 3,000 new residential treatment beds and 450 new board and care service contracts to treat those with mental illness.
The facility is a state-run public hospital specializing in psychiatric care. The 826-bed hospital sits on 162 acres and is within a security perimeter, Hahn reported. It currently admits patients who are: incompetent to stand trial; have mental health disorders; been found not guilty by reason of insanity; or are under conservatorships, a legal means to provide care for mentally ill individuals.In those vacant buildings, the county wants to create 219 mental health beds where homeless individuals suffering acute episodes would get treatment, then after several months, move into housing, Hahn said. Two buildings would be used for permanent supportive housing. Some housing space would be reserved for foster kids transitioning out of the system, she added.
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