Homelessness is growing at an exponential rate in California; a trend that did not start recently or suddenly. In the last two years, homelessness increased by a shocking 12%. To combat this rising issue, Gov. Newsom announced Proposition 1, a bill that amends the Mental Health Services Act by reallocating existing funds and securing more bonds towards health treatment for homeless individuals. The bill aims to make mental health and substance abuse treatment more accessible to unhoused people in California, especially incarcerated individuals and former U.S. veterans. Prop. 1 will improve the current state of homelessness and mental health in California by eradicating the issue at its core.
California’s mental health system has had plenty of changes in the past few decades, a major one being the exact legislation Prop. 1 plans to amend — the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) of 2004. The MHSA included a 1% tax income increase for California residents which funds programs to aid individuals in need of mental health treatment. One of these was by implementing Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) programs for these patients. PEI programs are short-term mental health programs offered in schools and other places where behavioral health isn’t typically offered. It was shown that in PEI programs across California, an estimated 90% of clients were found to remain under the threshold of severe mental illness as they progressed through the program. This indicates that PEI helped combat those at risk for homelessness as well as improved the mental health of emotionally disturbed Californians. By amending and adding to MHSA, Prop. 1 will continue to combat the homelessness and mental health epidemic in California.
Many Californians doubt how effective mental health treatment is at combating homelessness rather than taking a “Housing First” approach. The Housing First approach has been positively cited as how Finland almost completely eradicated the homeless crisis in their country since 2007. Many people criticize Gov. Newsom’s plan and instead support the latter approach. These concerns are valid; however, mental health treatment is clearly more imperative than moving the homeless from one place to another. A study by the US Department of Health and Human Services found that putting unhoused people into homes does not fix the issue up front, which is mental health issues. Prop. 1 prioritizes mental health treatment over moving people into houses when it comes to eradicating the homelessness issue, which is why this bill will end the lingering problem once and for all.
There is a correlation between mental health and homelessness. Approximately 82% of homeless individuals have experienced mental illness at least once in their lifetime. When a person is at risk of harming themself or others, it is imperative to treat their mental health issue first before placing a person into a home and integrating them back into society. By creating more beds and making psychiatric and addiction treatment more accessible, lawmakers can target the cause of homelessness before slowly moving these individuals back into society.
Although all California residents have differing opinions due to their held values and beliefs, it must be noted that not one person can tackle homelessness alone. This battle is a group effort to help these fellow neighbors. Many people can easily hide their financial struggles in today’s day and age. Prop. 1 encourages Californians to keep in mind that eradicating homelessness and creating accessible healthcare for those at a disadvantage will lead to a more physically and mentally healthy group of Californians who thrive together.
