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THE HOMELESS IN ALLEN COUNTY Perhaps no social service dilemma in recent memory has evoked as much public outcry and government response as the plight of the homeless. But the public euphoria over the need to show compassion for the homeless led to an unforgivable diversion away from the causes of homelessness. Determining the cause of homelessness is important, because defining the cause also defines the solution. Most of the homeless nationwide and in Allen County are in need of services due to mental illness, substance abuse or domestic violence. In the years following World War II, a number of factors converged to remove the mentally ill from state-supported, institutional settings. In the 1950s, improvements in drug treatment made outpatient care more feasible. Beginning in the early 1960s, a series of federal policy decisions had Average Daily Population in Mental Institutions in the State of Indiana 1965 1995 _ 15,000 1,500 the effect of reducing the population of the mentally ill in institutions and promoting community-based care for those who were seriously mentally ill. The creation of the Medicaid program in 1965 also fueled the de institutionalization process. Congress did not want the federal government paying for patients that were in state mental institutions, and excluded state hospitals from Medicaid reimbursement. Short-term care in psychiatric wards of general hospitals was reimbursed, however. As a result, patients that might have been placed in a state mental hospital were diverted to general hospitals. Federal government policies further accelerated the de institutionalization process with the creation of the Supplemental Security Income (SS!) program in 1972. SSI increased deinstitutionalization for three reasons. First, inmates in mental hospitals were ineligible for SSI until they were released. Second, a cottage industry of small group hbmes was established across the country to care for the mentally ill - if they would sign over their monthly check to the administrator of the home. Finally, SSI eligibility gave participants an unprecedented degree of financial independence. Though mentally ill, the no-stringsattached SSI check meant the patients were free to live and act as they pleased - even if it meant sleeping in the park, eating at a soup kitchen, and avoiding regular treatments. The national trends towards deinstitutionalization have also occurred in Indiana. In 1965, the average daily population in Indiana mental institutions was just over 15,000. Today, the number is around 1,500 - about one-tenth of the amount of 30 years ago. Alcoholism has been the most efficient route to homelessness for several generations. Abusing alcohol results in a number of factors that break down a person's ability to maintain a stable home environment: Impaired decision-making, loss of job productivity, increased stress on relationships, the cost of alcohol, and the negative health consequences from prolonged use. Alcohol use remains the primary problem for a significant number of the home less. But the more serious issue from the perspective of those wishing to treat the homeless is use of crack cocaine, and the related problem of the "poly-addicted" - those who abuse a variety of legal and illegal drugs. The explosion of the use of crack cocaine in the 1980s contributed significantly to homelessness. From virtually no use in 1980, the number of current cocaine users (at least once a month) peaked at 5.8 million in 1988. In the next four years, such occasional use fell dramatically, to just 1.3 million by 1992. What remained was the small group of hard-core users, estimated at about 640,000. Use of crack cocaine plunged some into homeless ness for three reasons: It's cheap, it provides an immediate effect, and it's highly addictive. Crack cocaine use soared in Fort Wayne in 1991. In 1990, there were 65 arrests in Fort Wayne for cocaine dealing or possession. In 1991, arrests more than tripled to over 200, and have remained at the high level ever since. Another important cause of homelessness in Allen County is domestic violence. In virtually all cases, incidents of domestic violence lead to homelessness either for a single woman, or for a woman with children. In most cases, this cause of homeless ness can occur swiftly and usually without warning. According to the Victim's Assistance Division of the Fort Wayne Police Department, there were over 2,000 incidents of domestic violence in Allen County in 1994. As a result, services to this type of homeless population must be based on swift treatment. While victims of domestic violence can be treated in a number of facilities, the two primary facilities for care are the . 2 Y-l ~)E?)ll Vl~(..f) too~~ ~~GLdL e..po","t~ ~1,V\0C'~ l({ib
Object Description
Title | Homeless in Allen County |
Contributor | Foellinger Foundation |
Topic | Human Services |
Subject |
Homeless persons--Indiana--Allen County--Statistics Homeless persons--Services for--Indiana--Allen County |
Geographical Coverage | Allen County, Indiana |
Date of Original | January 1996 |
Time Period | 1900-1999 |
Source | Print version: "The homeless in Allen County." Focus report: research; a Foellinger Foundation special report. (Fort Wayne, Ind.: Foellinger Foundation, 1996), 3 p. |
Additional Availability | Print version might be available at IPFW Helmke Library. See online catalog. |
Rights | Copyright Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, 2006- . All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without permission. For information regarding reproduction and use see: http://cdm16776.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/about/collection/p16776coll1/ |
Date Digitally Created | April 17 2012 |
Digital Publisher | Walter E. Helmke Library, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne |
Digitization Specifications | This pdf file was derived from 400 dpi, 1-bit, uncompressed TIFF images that were scanned from the originals using a Fujitsu 5750C scanner with Adobe Acrobat 9.0 Professional scanning software, black and white configuration. |
Content Type | Text |
Digital Format | text/pdf |
Collection | Fort Wayne Area Government Information |
Identifier | 30000122013174 |
File Name | 30000122013174.pdf |
Description
Title | Page 1 |
Transcript | THE HOMELESS IN ALLEN COUNTY Perhaps no social service dilemma in recent memory has evoked as much public outcry and government response as the plight of the homeless. But the public euphoria over the need to show compassion for the homeless led to an unforgivable diversion away from the causes of homelessness. Determining the cause of homelessness is important, because defining the cause also defines the solution. Most of the homeless nationwide and in Allen County are in need of services due to mental illness, substance abuse or domestic violence. In the years following World War II, a number of factors converged to remove the mentally ill from state-supported, institutional settings. In the 1950s, improvements in drug treatment made outpatient care more feasible. Beginning in the early 1960s, a series of federal policy decisions had Average Daily Population in Mental Institutions in the State of Indiana 1965 1995 _ 15,000 1,500 the effect of reducing the population of the mentally ill in institutions and promoting community-based care for those who were seriously mentally ill. The creation of the Medicaid program in 1965 also fueled the de institutionalization process. Congress did not want the federal government paying for patients that were in state mental institutions, and excluded state hospitals from Medicaid reimbursement. Short-term care in psychiatric wards of general hospitals was reimbursed, however. As a result, patients that might have been placed in a state mental hospital were diverted to general hospitals. Federal government policies further accelerated the de institutionalization process with the creation of the Supplemental Security Income (SS!) program in 1972. SSI increased deinstitutionalization for three reasons. First, inmates in mental hospitals were ineligible for SSI until they were released. Second, a cottage industry of small group hbmes was established across the country to care for the mentally ill - if they would sign over their monthly check to the administrator of the home. Finally, SSI eligibility gave participants an unprecedented degree of financial independence. Though mentally ill, the no-stringsattached SSI check meant the patients were free to live and act as they pleased - even if it meant sleeping in the park, eating at a soup kitchen, and avoiding regular treatments. The national trends towards deinstitutionalization have also occurred in Indiana. In 1965, the average daily population in Indiana mental institutions was just over 15,000. Today, the number is around 1,500 - about one-tenth of the amount of 30 years ago. Alcoholism has been the most efficient route to homelessness for several generations. Abusing alcohol results in a number of factors that break down a person's ability to maintain a stable home environment: Impaired decision-making, loss of job productivity, increased stress on relationships, the cost of alcohol, and the negative health consequences from prolonged use. Alcohol use remains the primary problem for a significant number of the home less. But the more serious issue from the perspective of those wishing to treat the homeless is use of crack cocaine, and the related problem of the "poly-addicted" - those who abuse a variety of legal and illegal drugs. The explosion of the use of crack cocaine in the 1980s contributed significantly to homelessness. From virtually no use in 1980, the number of current cocaine users (at least once a month) peaked at 5.8 million in 1988. In the next four years, such occasional use fell dramatically, to just 1.3 million by 1992. What remained was the small group of hard-core users, estimated at about 640,000. Use of crack cocaine plunged some into homeless ness for three reasons: It's cheap, it provides an immediate effect, and it's highly addictive. Crack cocaine use soared in Fort Wayne in 1991. In 1990, there were 65 arrests in Fort Wayne for cocaine dealing or possession. In 1991, arrests more than tripled to over 200, and have remained at the high level ever since. Another important cause of homelessness in Allen County is domestic violence. In virtually all cases, incidents of domestic violence lead to homelessness either for a single woman, or for a woman with children. In most cases, this cause of homeless ness can occur swiftly and usually without warning. According to the Victim's Assistance Division of the Fort Wayne Police Department, there were over 2,000 incidents of domestic violence in Allen County in 1994. As a result, services to this type of homeless population must be based on swift treatment. While victims of domestic violence can be treated in a number of facilities, the two primary facilities for care are the . 2 Y-l ~)E?)ll Vl~(..f) too~~ ~~GLdL e..po","t~ ~1,V\0C'~ l({ib |