Forum tries to educate public about mentally ill, homeless

Remaining forums

Sept. 28: A look at the issues of mental illness and homelessness specific to Lawrence.

Nov. 30: Recap of forum series focusing on possible solutions resulting from the series dialogue.

All forums are at 7 p.m. at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt. For more information, contact Steve Ozark at 785-760-3143 or by e-mail at oztalent@aol.com.

Walk through downtown Lawrence and it’s not uncommon to have an encounter with someone who appears homeless or mentally ill.

But many people lack an understanding of the dynamics involved in such behaviors and how to respond, said Susan Crain Lewis, president and CEO of the Kansas City-based advocacy organization Mental Health America of the Heartland.

Lewis spoke to about 60 community members Monday night at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt., in the second of four public forums designed to raise awareness and educate the public about mental illness and homelessness. Lewis emphasized that many members of the general public suffer from mental illness as well, but those on the streets lacked some assistance along the way in dealing with their illnesses.

“The homeless get the same kinds of problems as the rest of us,” she said, adding that the mentally ill homeless often lack the resources, such as a supportive family, that help prevent homelessness in other sectors of the population.

“You’re starting over every time you fall down,” Lewis said of those in the community who lack such support.

And that’s why the community needs to look for solutions to prevent those with a mental illness from ever ending up on the street, said Simon Messmer, director of the Kansas City-based Housing to Homes, an organization that assists those with mental illnesses in finding and keeping permanent housing.

Messmer also spoke at the forum about the tough lives the homeless mentally ill often live.

“It gets uncomfortable. It gets unpleasant,” said Messmer of the daily struggle of not having shelter.

While the community as a whole needs to continue looking for solutions to housing the mentally ill, Lewis offers these tips for people when they encounter someone they believe is suffering from a mental illness:

• Contact a local mental health agency, such as the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center.

• Be polite and ask if there is something you can do to help find a friend or a family member.

• If someone isn’t causing any harm, sometimes the best action is to not do anything.