Can't Make Them Vax? You Sure Can't Make Them Take Psych Meds!

 

Florence police chief Ron Tyler has declared a war on homelessness. Good for him; the homeless need all the advocates they can muster. A master plan? Much needed. How much will this help? That's very debatable.

Many homeless are without permanent shelter either because they have given up or because they prefer it that way due to mental illness. In fact, we would guess as many as 25% don't want a fixed abode. We welcome any actual statistics on this.

Let's review a local situation from two or so years ago. A young man began to have mental problems after his father left the home to pursue a new alliance. This man managed to keep things together until his mother died, then he seemed to lose touch with reality. People, whoever they were, had electronic bugs set up in McDonald's to spy on him and steal his life's work. It was a constant effort to keep one step ahead of them.

Then one day the man simply fell off the grid. Local social workers were worried; his father and brother were worried. There were news releases about his disappearance. Police were on the lookout for him and issued regular pleas for information.

Then, after four or so weeks of these news stories, the man contacted one news agency. He didn't want to be found. He also stated he knew the his father, the police, and this local news source were in cahoots to find him and have him put away. In case you can't think of the exact term for this, it's paranoia, probably related to schizophrenia. 

Could this man ever live a reasonably normal life. Yes, but only with regular medication. Do you think this man wanted to take any of this "poison" his family tried to thrust upon him? After all, it's his body, his choice. He absolutely wanted to remain homeless for the rest of his life.

This isn't even touching on the problem of drug expense. How do the homeless pay for these medications without enough Medicaid funds in this state? God forbid that the state take any federal funding...well not including that for roads, waterways, or other infrastructure needed to run profitable businesses. 

Let's say we get 75% of the homeless in a stable environment, that's fantastic. Just don't expect to ever eradicate the entire problem. Remember: Their bodies, their choices...at least until they commit a major crime.