MENTAL ILLNESS AND HOMELESSNESS

A well-rounded overview of the rising population of unhoused people in the U.S. and the ways that mental illness can lead to a loss of housing.

Allen presents a timely, unbiased, well-researched reference guide that covers a wide range of topics, including the ways that mental health treatment has evolved in the U.S. and current policy and outreach programs that are attempting to find housing solutions for people experiencing mental health struggles. The author explores the complex problems caused by the dissolution of state psychiatric hospitals that began in the 1950s. Although the movement toward deinstitutionalization was driven by good intentions for providing humane treatment and improved care, many released patients had nowhere to go and ended up living on the streets or in cheap tenements or landing in jails and prisons. Allen covers the daily challenges unhoused people face regarding food, transportation, medication, and basic safety. He also describes relevant subjects such as legislation, “hostile architecture” (features in public spaces that are designed to be uncomfortable for unhoused people), advocacy for a Homeless Bill of Rights, the right to refuse treatment, and current initiatives such as “street psychiatry teams.” The facts and figures are interspersed with rich narratives, making the text approachable, interesting, and relatable. Stock photos reflect racial diversity among unhoused people and those who help them, and sidebars provide additional information. The text doesn’t discuss the widespread preference for the term unhoused.

An accessible, up-to-date, and comprehensive resource.