Placing mentally disabled in Kentucky's personal care homes violates law ...

The personal care home issues are just a tiny pin dot in comparison to the magnitude of issues for people suffering with serious and persistent mental illness, SPMI in Kentucky. Thanks to the Lexington Herald-Leader for bringing awareness to these problems. We must first attempt to educate Kentuckians of the waste in tax payers dollars and the inhumanity of how people with SPMI are forced to exist. Change is needed!   

GG Burns, KY Mental Health Advocate

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/03/19/2117925/placing-mentally-disabled-in-personal.html#storylink=cpy

By: Valarie Honeycutt Spears and Beth Musgrave — vhoneycutt@herald-leader.com

Posted: 7:53pm on Mar 19, 2012; Modified: 12:19am on Mar 20, 2012

FRANKFORT — The continued placement of mentally ill residents in Kentucky's personal care homes is a violation of federal disability laws, a watchdog state agency said Monday.

Kentucky's personal care homes unfairly segregate people with disabilities from the community, denying residents their right to interact with non-disabled people to the fullest extent possible, according to a report by Kentucky Protection and Advocacy. The group is an independent state agency that protects and promotes the rights of people with disabilities.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/03/19/2117925/placing-mentally-disabled-in-personal.html#storylink=cpy

You can read the article in its entirety here :http://www.kentucky.com/2012/03/19/2117925/placing-mentally-disabled-in-personal.html

TAC speaks out of HUD's response about the homeless.

An interesting exchange took place on The Daily Show when comedian Jon Stewart interviewed with Shaun Donovan, the secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) about homelessness.

"Between shelters, emergency rooms and jails, he told Stewart, it costs “about $40,000 in "tax payers dollars" a year to have a homeless person on the streets.” 

for more info read the articles here:

http://treatmentadvocacycenter.org/about-us/our-blog/69-no-state/2046-jon-stewart-getting-it-hud-not-so-sure

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I might add, it cost KY's tax payers around $30,000 a year to house these same individuals, (often suffering with untreated mental illness) in our jails or prisons.  It cost about $700 a day for these individuals to be in a state mental hospital.  KY's mental health budget hasn't increased in 14 years ~ so what is more humane? Would it be smarter to use these funds to help these individuals regain their life by treating their illness instead? Talk to your legislator about this and you'll be quick to learn that most are clueless of how these dollars are being spent or shall I say 'wasted'.  

I encourage you to re-post or at least think of this article the next time you think a homeless person isn't costing us money.  

Remember this article when you vote! GG  Burns, KY Mental Health Advocate