Panel: Mental health services vital to community

Feb. 07--NORMAL -- Jails are a poor substitute for mental health services but without another place to go, people often end up behind bars during a crisis, a McLean County judge told an audience at Saturday's "Closing the Gap Project."

The panel discussion, sponsored by the Neighbors Association of Normal, drew about 70 people to hear about the challenges faced by people with a mental illness, service providers, and officials in the criminal justice system who want to help them.

"The only way some people ever receive treatment is when they are arrested and forced into the justice system," Associate Judge Bill Yoder told the group at Community Activity Center.

Yoder, the presiding judge for the McLean County Recovery Court, for people whose mental illness contributed to their criminal conduct, said a lack of housing is a major issue for the 18 people currently assigned to the problem-solving court program.

"There often is no adequate place for them other than a roach-infested, bed-bug infested apartment," said Yoder, adding "housing should be a top priority" for the county's efforts.

State's Attorney Jason Chambers said his office works with jail staff and defense lawyers to determine the best plan for a person with mental illness. Families who can afford to post bond sometimes decide that jail is the best temporary option, said Chambers, because "they don't know what else to do."

Luella Mahannah with Integrity Counseling said her agency sees clients who cannot afford private services and may not meet the income threshold for state-funded care.

Criminal backgrounds can be a barrier for people who need housing, said Mahannah. "These are people who need advocates in the community," she said.

Trisha Woods was one of several members from the National Alliance on Mental Illness on the panel.

For many people in crisis, the cycle from the jail to the hospital is a recurring one, said Woods, who works with the NAMI family support group.

The planned expansion of the McLean County jail to include a mental health unit is a positive step, said Woods, calling the new facility "a place where people can wait in an environment that's conducive to recovery."

The shortage of services can be traced to severe funding cuts at the state and local levels, said Ed Hall, co-president of NAMI Livingston/McLean counties.

The loss of "over $4 billion in mental health funding that went down the tubes" with funding losses has put the burden of closing the gap on local residents, said Hall.

Work by the McLean County Board, in cooperation with the Town of Normal and the city, to increase mental health funds is moving forward, Normal City Manager Mark Peterson told the group. An agreement will be on the table soon to lay out how 25 percent of a 1-cent sales tax increase will be used to support mental health programs, he said.

Follow Edith Brady-Lunny on Twitter: @pg_blunny

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