Support of special services for mentally ill homeless persons in Knox County including:
help on the street or transportation to psychiatric services; medicine
management, daily supervision of medication; financial management so bills
are paid; sheltered work.
Other special needs are information and referral services, case management
and recreational and social opportunities.
The services above should be made available through a spectrum of housing
options with case managers or outreach workers available in every setting.
Homeless mentally ill persons should have a right to receive treatment even
when they are unable to seek it for themselves although their civil rights must be safeguarded. Alternative services should be appropriate and attractive
to mentally ill persons.
Local state-funded mental health centers should be responsible for the
planning and oversight of local services. The family should be involved but
not bear total responsibility for overseeing services for family members.
(Adopted 8/1986)
The LWVKKC supports a "housing-first" model to provide permanent
supportive housing for chronically homeless people with disabilities such as
mental illness and/or chemical dependency. The housing-first model
recognizes that people need to be housed in order to effectively utilize
services that address the issues that have contributed to their chronic
homelessness. Our current system of allowing these most needy citizens to
live for years in emergency shelters or on the streets while cycling in and out of hospitals, jail, and detoxification is both inhumane and an inefficient
use of our scarce public resources.
Permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless people should not be concentrated in any one neighborhood, but should instead be dispersed throughout Knox County. Siting decisions should be made on the basis of
proximity to public transportation and other appropriate factors related to
program needs. The process for siting these facilities should include early
communication with neighbors and community organizations, including the
provision of accurate information about the proposed program and
opportunities for two-way conversations. While neighbors have a right to be
heard, neighborhood opposition alone should not be a basis for rejecting an
otherwise sound proposal. Applicable fair housing laws should be followed
in all decision-making processes. (Adopted 5/2010)
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League of Women Voters of Knoxville/Knox County, Tennessee. All rights reserved.
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