Ahem . . . why doesn’t Dane County and Madison?
Putting homeless people behind bars for nonviolent crimes may temporarily keep them from disturbing the public. But it fails to address the chronic issues — like substance abuse and mental health problems — that will likely land them back in jail again and again. That revolving door burdens police officers, crowds local jails, costs taxpayers money and fails to help those in need. The issue has only gotten worse in recent years, as the economic downturn has forced more people out of their homes.
One such community is Lee County, Fla., which has seen a 30 percent jump in its homeless population in the past four years. Not only does the southwest Florida county, centered on the city of Fort Myers, have an increasing homeless population, it also has higher-than-average rates of suicide and substance use. Exacerbating the problem is the fact that Florida lawmakers in recent years have made significant cuts to funding for the kinds of programs and services that could help lower those rates. This year, Florida ranks 49th in per capita spending on mental health care and 35th for substance use care.
To address these issues and divert people from jail, Lee County opened a triage center in April 2008 for people with mental health disorders and substance use problems. Rather than jailing homeless people for low-level crimes like loitering or public intoxication, police officers can bring them to the center for food, shelter and case management services.
More about how we could learn from Florida, save money and treat people well here.
