The San Diego County Board of Supervisors took steps Monday to provide more ongoing, long-term help for people suffering from mental illness and/or drug abuse.
County Supervisor Dianne Jacob described the proposed program as a "coordinated, comprehensive system… to make sure we can take them from crisis all the way to a successful outcome."
The plan is to have "stabilization centers" where people with mental health and addiction issues can walk in any time for services. Law enforcement would also be able to drop off people who need help, instead of taking them to jail.
It also includes an expansion of PERT, the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team. After initially responding to a crisis, PERT would offer more follow, and may even go into schools to help identify students who are struggling with mental illness and/or addiction.
"If we can identify these kids early, what I consider an intervention, provide help, there's a lot less chance of dealing with them as adults later on,” Jacob said.
Darren, a homeless San Diegan, says he’s an example of someone who slipped through the cracks as a juvenile. He NBC 7 he has been homeless for four years, and said his parents were drug addicts and that made for a tough family life.
"I think as you get older it gets hard, like myself, hopeless," he said.
Local
Jacob said the proposed stabilization centers will help people like Darren.
"If we can successfully manage those who have mental illness and addiction issues and provide housing, we can turn our homeless problem into a homeless solution,” she said.
The County already spends $650 million yearly providing services for the mentally ill and those battling drug addiction.
“It's not just the money. We need to spend it smarter,” Jacob said. “We need to be targeting the individual, a comprehensive plan for the individual from crisis all the way to a successful outcome."
There are details, like where the centers will be located, that still need to be worked out. A report is due back from staff to the Board of Supervisors in 90 days.
