The incidence of mental illness is a serious concern in the United States and around the world. One in 25 Adults will live with mental illness throughout life.  They need professional support and medication to maintain their physical and mental health.  Untreated, mental illness leads to serious health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. (NIMH)

Many homeless people suffer from mental illness.  Although there appears to be a rise in the number of homeless, in fact, the numbers are not escalating, but the homeless are being “seen” more due to closure of homeless shelters, treatment centers and in-patient facilities. They are left to survive on the streets. (NIH)
 
The mentally ill are more likely to be a victim of violence than the perpetrator.  Mentally ill people carry the stigma of being “crazy”, violent, dangerous.  In fact, they are more in danger of being the victim of perpetrators than the perpetrator.  This stigma extends to the criminal justice system, where the mentally ill are treated as criminals, arrested, and imprisoned for extended periods without appropriate care and treatment.  The homeless belong in safe shelters, and those that are mentally ill in a treatment center that provides medication, a safe environment, and therapy that treats their illness.
 
What would Jesus do? 
 Submitted by Jane Goeke 314-845-9307