Columns

ON MENTAL ILLNESS: Supported Housing

Jack Bragen
Thursday October 16, 2014 - 10:42:00 PM

Supported housing on the face of it might seem like a humiliating concept for a mentally ill individual who is grappling with self-esteem issues who wants to feel "normal." 

However, the world is tough. And if you are dealing with a mind that churns out negative thoughts, and/or negative emotions (which would be considered depression) or if the mind is creating illusions that might be grandiose or bizarre (psychosis), these types of content would be a major distraction from getting done what needs to be done. 

Living in a manner which is as near to "normal" as possible has two sides. We can feel better about ourselves due to the independence, and we don't have to put up with being supervised in our home. On the other hand, living without much assistance can be daunting. 

Years ago, my wife and I chose to get away from semi-institutional housing, and it has been a challenge to get by since then. However, prior to moving to a "normal" apartment, when my wife and I were living in a large apartment complex set aside for persons with various disabilities, we were being harassed in various ways by other residents, and sometimes by staff. When living in housing set aside for mentally ill people, there is a lot of negative baggage due to the fact that others make their problems into your problems. 

("Board and Care" group housing comprises a very large chunk of the available housing for persons with mental illness. The conditions are often deplorable. There is no privacy, no freedom, few personal possessions, and the food is unhealthy and sometimes disgusting. There is often no regulation of how the residents interact, and thus, various types of victimization take place. Unfortunately, due to economic and other factors, many persons with mental illness have no choice but to live in one of these homes.) 

Maintaining a good credit rating and a good rental history are essential for living in a decent unit in a decent neighborhood. Thus, if you couldn't resist going hog wild on your Macy's card and then missed some payments, it will come up on a prospective landlord's computer and you will find it harder to rent. For several years my wife and I were renting in a less than ideal apartment building. When my credit rating became better, it became possible for my wife and I to rent in a good place. 

Thus, there is no easy way. Either we have to fend for ourselves among people who are mostly in mainstream society—in some cases in low-income neighborhoods—or we must put up with the supervised and often harassed situation of housing set aside for mentally ill people. 

Overall I would say independence is better even though there is not as much support. Of course when you're living in supported housing you do not have the sometimes daunting feeling that you are "going it alone." In supported housing there is often a feeling of safety that there are people there to help take care of you. This is assuming you are in a well-run place in which staff and fellow mental health consumers are behaving the way they ought to. 

However, if you can get affordable housing (living among non disabled people) in which there is no supervision (hopefully the residents don't require supervision) albeit no assistance, it can feel quite empowering. 

I have met a man in his forties who still lives with his parents as of the last time I saw him. If I could have lived with parents I probably would have done so, but I was kicked out for good when I was in my early twenties. (At age twenty-four It was time to move on.) Since then, housing has often been a major issue. 

I think if you want to help persons with mental illness through legislation intended to make us take our medication, the same lawmakers shouldn't ignore that our quality of life is a factor in our willingness to comply with treatment. The availability and quality of our housing are major determinants of this.