Let's Talk Health: Finding safe housing for mental health patients

Jan. 22--Late last year, I received a call from a reader who said she had some concerns about an apartment complex her mentally ill brother had been referred to.

It is not uncommon for reporters to get calls from unhappy tenants -- "the heater isn't working, these units are poorly managed, the Sun-Star should look into it," etc. I am obviously not equipped to give renters advice, but I can ask questions.

Evelyn Santiago of Merced invited me to check out her brother's apartment -- located in an older-looking, two-story complex on 18th Street. He lived there for only three weeks before moving out because of poor conditions, Santiago said. Her adult brother is schizophrenic and asthmatic. He needs a clean space, not one with cockroaches running across poorly painted walls and cracked flooring, she said.

There was no heater the first few days, and there was a gap at the bottom of the door that allowed cold November wind to sneak through, she added. More than once, her brother expressed that it was hard for him to breathe in the unit, she said.

Santiago was at a loss. She said the Adult Wellness Center, part of the Merced County Mental Health Department, had helped her brother find subsidized housing. She didn't understand why the apartment was in the shape it was.

Santiago's brother had spent some time at the Marie Green Psychiatric Center and at the D Street Homeless Shelter. From there, he was referred to services at the Mental Health Department, Santiago said. She told me she had tried helping her brother several times before, but she was also the caregiver of her ill mother and was going through her own health issues. Understandably, there was only so much she could take on.

According to Santiago, she and her brother did not see the apartment before he moved in. However, the property manager I spoke to briefly said Santiago's brother had seen the apartment, approved and signed the lease. He wouldn't have been able to move in otherwise, the property manager explained.

In Santiago's case, there was obviously a lack of communication. She didn't know whom to turn to for help. She said she was responsible for coming up with the $500 deposit and $330 monthly rent for her brother's apartment -- money that she wouldn't get back despite the fact that her brother did not occupy the unit for a full month.

"This is stressful," she told me, as she prepared to turn over the keys. "I have never experienced anything like this before."

My guess is that Santiago is not the first person to run into some trouble when trying to locate resources for a relative with a mental illness. Being a caregiver can be tough and confusing.

I want to offer this column space for readers with questions regarding this topic. This upcoming week, I will collect questions from readers who are wondering about the process of finding safe, adequate homes for their relatives with a mental disorder. I will take these questions to mental health officials, and hopefully get helpful answers. My email address, phone number and Twitter handle are provided below.

During a quick chat Friday morning with Yvonnia Brown, the director at the Merced County Mental Health Department, she explained that housing for patients with mental disabilities is available throughout the county. However, units are limited, and sometimes there is a waiting time.

For this reason, patients must meet certain criteria to qualify for assistance. In order to receive help from a homeless coordinator, people must be currently enrolled in services with the department. One way to get started is by stopping by the CARS (Community Access to Recovery Services) office on 480 E. 13th St. There, patients can be screened and meet with someone at the county's Wellness Center. If they meet the "seriously mentally ill" criteria, they are hooked up with services, including housing options, Brown said.

Brown also explained that depending on the patient's level of capacity, patients will usually make their own decisions regarding housing.

As long as they are willing to sign a release and coordinators are able to communicate with them, patients will make their own choices, without the need to consult a family member. Participants are assigned a case manager who assists with the moving process, Brown explained.

However, it can be a convoluted process, and those not familiar with it can face dilemmas such as Santiago's.

Again, I encourage readers with any questions, concerns or stories to share, to give me a ring or shoot me an email. I hope to be able to answer your questions in next week's column.

Ana B. Ibarra: 209-385-2486, aibarra@mercedsunstar.com, @ab_ibarra

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