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Alarming number homeless suffer from mental disability

Confronting Homelessness

In all circumstances, mental illness is a disturbing issue, especially when referring to homelessness. Many people who live a homeless lifestyle are living with some sort of disability, and an alarming number are suffering from a mental disability. Greg Payton, the CEO of Mental Health Kokua, estimates that as many as 200 homeless people on Maui suffer from some kind of mental disability.

While reflecting on my own family and talking with friends, I realized that everyone has a story. We all have family members or friends who are afflicted with some form of mental illness. I have family members who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Most people know the trauma that mental disease can create for both the victim and family members. At least these family members are in a home with domestic support. When the mentally ill are homeless, they have no support.

They often endure a painful and unrelenting nightmare of fear, abuse and exploitation. Payton shared how mentally ill, homeless adults are confused and disorganized, which makes living a normal life impossible. Many are regularly victimized, sexually abused and feel the need to hide so as to avoid further abuse. They live with untreated symptoms and are often ignored, except when they break the law. It can be days or even months before they are willing to trust people, like caseworkers, sent to help them.

I have a vivid memory from about 25 years ago when I was driving down Kamehameha Avenue with my three young children. My daughter noticed a homeless man on the side of the road. He was sitting in a wheelchair and happily talking to himself. Being a compassionate child, she said, “Mom, he looks hungry! Can we buy him something to eat?” So we went to a market and bought a very large Subway-type of sandwich.

We drove back to where he lived and I pulled the car over to quickly get out to hand him the sandwich. When he saw me coming, he yelped, covered his head with one hand as he tried to hurriedly wheel himself away with the other hand. The fear on his face was apparent, and even though I was a woman with young children, he was expecting harm, not help.

When I saw how frightened he was I immediately exclaimed, “I’m so sorry, I’m not going to hurt you!” And then I showed him the sandwich. He thanked me as he cautiously took the food. This memory and how the experience made me feel will never be forgotten. What kind of abuse and mistreatment did he suffer to make him that fearful?

On Maui, Mental Health Kokua is the organization tasked with the mission to help those who are homeless and living with mental illness. Payton estimates that 30 percent of homeless people on Maui suffer some sort of mental illness compared with the national average of 20 to 25 percent. These are alarming percentages when you consider that only 6 percent of the general public has a mental illness.

He also told me something that will surprise many: The majority of the homeless served (95 percent) are from Hawaii, not from the Mainland. However, after receiving case management for six months or longer, Mental Health Kokua has seen 90 percent of these successfully remain housed. Information about Mental Health Kokua can be found at mhkhawaii.org.

Those who serve the homeless who suffer from mental illness are very special people and deserve a lot of respect. As Payton noted: “We are constantly surprised, humbled and inspired by the people we serve and how they live proud, productive lives when offered the opportunity to begin again.”

* Joyce Kawakami is a full-time volunteer, founder and CEO of Feed My Sheep Inc. As an active member of the Maui Homeless Alliance, she chairs the Awareness Committee. The alliance meets on the third Wednesday of each month at Maui Economic Opportunity, 99 Mahalani St. in Wailuku. To participate, call 242-4900.

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