- April 19, 2024
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Bad weather disrupts treatment for the 26% of homeless residents with mental health illness.
BY MATT MENCARINI | STAFF WRITER
The first two weeks of May have seen rain that delayed baseball games, filled retention ponds and were a general inconvenience to residents.
But for the homeless population, living without a roof or weather-resistant shelter, those rains were a much larger problem.
In 2012, the Volusia-Flagler County Coalition for the Homeless estimated approximately 2,015 single adults were homeless in Volusia County. And of that population, the coalition estimated 26%, or 524, were “seriously mentally ill.”
The rain and severe weather can be emotionally and physically draining, local experts say, and it can disrupt treatment plans.
“Imagine you’re homeless, living in an encampment: Everything you own is now wet,” said Adam Colando, a counselor for Haven Recovery Center’s My Place Apartments. “I don’t care how good your tent is, the water permeates. ... And then imagine having a mental illness, like schizophrenia or bipolar (disorder) or a major depressive disorder, and you’re not able to get your medication.”
The STAR Family Center, at 340 North St., in Daytona Beach, has a clothes closet, where homeless individuals can get dry clothes, as well as use washers, dryers and umbrellas. But the disruptions aren’t just material.
“I’ve noticed a lot of no-shows when its raining,” said Joslynn Watson, a homeless clinic therapist at the STAR Family Center. “Usually, they stay where they are, and they can stay there because it’s dry.”
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs — a psychological theory that says unless basic humans needs are met, more advanced mental or psychological desires can’t be addressed — comes into play for the homeless, especially those with a mental health illness or a substance-abuse problem.
Therapy and medication can only go so far.
“The three things that I always start out with ... are sleep, diet and exercise,” said Colando, who oversees the treatment and recovery for approximately 25 individuals with mental health and substance-abuse problems at My Place Apartments. “I monitor that pretty much every week.”
My Place Apartments is a permanent housing facility funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which provides housing and support services for homeless individuals with “severe and persistent” mental illness.
It provides shelter, and a sense of security, so that real strides can be made in treatment, without the individuals fighting to fulfill basic needs — food, water and shelter, Maslow’s Hierarchy.
But it has limited space, so for the vast majority of the homeless population with a mental illness, securing the basic needs so that treatment plans can work is “extremely difficult”.
“There’s so much uncertainty,” Watson said. “Where am I going to go next? Are the police going to arrest me? They have to stay awake all night. And if they’re not sleeping well, that can lead to more issues.”
