Stories on group homes spotlight need for society to do better

The stories by Dan Pompi- li concerning the past and present problems at the House of Hope (formerly Bryson Manor) show that Mahoning County is not a fine place to live for a good many of those 14,000 persons cited in the stories who receive mental health services locally.

As the stories noted, there are only eight group homes, including House of Hope, now operating in the county to meet the needs of these people. The closing of Woodside State Psychiatric Hospital in 1999 exacerbated the problem of providing housing for the mentally ill.

There is much truth in the saying that a society can be judged by the way it treats the least amongst it. The state, county and city are quite remiss in the manner in which people with brain disorders are housed and cared for.

We have a son who has been in the local mental health system for 18 years, some of which were troubling for us as a family as we tried to find suitable housing arrangements for him and opportunities for a job in an appropriate work setting.

Our son spent some time in one home where he was not quite able to learn how to prepare a meal nor to keep up with the tasks at the associated workshop. He was also afraid of his roommate but not allowed to change rooms. That was just the beginning of a series of setbacks and disappointments. He lived at home at times, but that does not work out often for an adult child.

He tried living in an apartment somewhat on his own; we took him some meals and checked on him daily. Most case managers are too busy to check very often. There were other disabled people living there too but no supervision, and that was stressful for all of them. He left after a year.

He also spent time in a group home which he did not like, where the supper was served around 3:30 in the afternoon, and he worried about petty thievery. All this exacerbated his symptoms. Fortunately, with time we found a reputable group home, where he has lived now for more than seven years and also a small job downtown.

Some people can go from a group home into an apartment; for others the best situation is to live indefinitely in a supervised setting.

It would be beneficial if the local mental health board were able to provide residential housing with supervision for more of its needy mental health consumers, but we have found that it is primarily private individuals with vision and a sense of a mission to help the disabled who provide the living and work situations which we personally have found most satisfactory.

We commend both Mark Zidian, who operates Windhaven House, and Jimmy Sutman, who has established ISLE, the Purple Cat, the candy store on Phelps and various group homes in Struthers and Youngstown for the difference that they have made in our lives. There are probably other such persons we don’t know who also deserve recognition. These private individuals have shown the kind of initiative that one would hope to expect from the county mental health system.

But many slip through the cracks, ending up in inadequate housing or out on the streets, or in jail, worse off in many ways than 100 years ago. The problem is only partially financial. We need to reorganize our societal priorities before it is too late.

Judith Stanger, Boardman