Are the Mentally Ill Homeless Falling through the Cracks of Society?

Without possibly knowing that the recent tragic events would have occurred with the loss of homes for many, the issue of homeless people and the housing crisis in Sonoma County continues. In doing an investigative research project for Sonoma State University’s Investigative sociology class, our focused topic was the social problem of homelessness. However, our main focus was to look at a specific group of the homeless community; those who suffer from mental illness. The mentally ill homeless seem to have fallen through the cracks of society. We chose to look for a possible resolution to issue of mental health among the homeless population. We ask ourselves a simple question: Where do they end up? And, how are public services providing aid for the homeless population suffering from mental illness in Sonoma county? And finally, what do service providers recommend as a solution?

After experiencing a historical tragedy that affected our data, and working with evolving current events that blew out of proportion for only six students to handle, we faced a lack of adequate services and resources that specialized in the issue of providing aid for those homeless individuals with mental health issues. Carrying out a semester long project in the midst of the tragic fires, the attempt was to highlight what occurs with the mentally ill homeless population and what possible solutions were offered through the first hand experience of the people who work directly to help these afflicted people. We feel that it may be of some interest to be read.

Yours sincerely,
Paula Albertolli from Sonoma State University’s Investigative Sociology Course 336.