Terrel: It's not a lack of legislation, but the result of an over-reaching judiciary that grossly restricted the ability to put people into institutional care. It came out of "warehousing" charges, especially in New York, where people in institutions were being kept in absolutely squalid conditions with no medical help. This resulted in the pendulum swinging to the other extreme, and people who really needed help and medication were unceremoniously dumped onto the street. So many of the long-term homeless are mentally ill, and really need to be in a structured environment for their own protection (and ours). But the courts have ruled that if they don't want to be in an institution, they can walk, even when it's clear they're not really mentally competent to make such decisions. Since those decisions, there's been a tremendous cut-back on facilities and funding for such facilities. County health departments have been charged with taking over the care of such people, as well as charitable groups and homeless shelters. But the mentally-ill homeless avoid these places, because they don't want the medication, and we are not allowed to take any action to insure they get their medications and care.
That's just the way it is.
