It's not as if he had gone unnoticed by local residents. Cedric Steele, the homeless individual who is accused of firebombing state Sen. Wendy Davis' office last week, is among the many homeless individuals with severe mental health issues in our community.
In fact, the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition's end-of-year survey of case managers and social workers lists mental health as one of the top five needs for people in emergency shelters and again in the top five for people in permanent supportive housing.It's also a top reason why some people exit programs without income for four years straight.So, what's being done?Catholic Charities Fort Worth's Street Outreach Services team and Mental Health Mental Retardation of Tarrant County's PATH team together serve as Tarrant County's lifeline for connecting unsheltered homeless individuals with needed resources.S.O.S. and PATH serve some of the nearly 2,200 folks in Tarrant County who struggle with homelessness. They remove barriers to access by taking health services to people and connecting them to providers like the JPS Health Network and Cook Children's Medical Center.While out in the field, S.O.S. and PATH teams meet directly with homeless people, assessing them for substance abuse and mental health problems, potential harm and overall well-being. Teams bring hygiene kits, water, snacks and resources.The S.O.S. and PATH programs can't solve all the problems of homelessness. Not every homeless person will choose to connect with services. When they do, their transient lifestyle can make it difficult to maintain a consistent regimen of treatment.Far too many people simply aren't aware of the resources, which is where S.O.S. and PATH teams step in.Unfortunately, in the face of the state budget crisis, housing and other service programs faced funding cuts even in a time of expanding need.To fill the gaps, entities like Catholic Charities and MHMR have sustained programs with outside financial support from those who understand how crucial it is that our community continues to work toward moving people out of poverty.What happened with Steele isn't unique to the homeless population. Mental health issues can impact anyone. While homeless people sometimes exhibit troubling behaviors, rarely do they become dangerous to themselves or others.Having homeless people "out of sight, out of mind" isn't the answer. They need a compassionate community to reach out to them. They need someone to call S.O.S. or PATH, whose teams are well-equipped to step in and assist people.We know that it takes a whole community to make people whole again. It will take our whole community to reach out if we want to ensure a different ending for someone like Cedric.What can you do?Ask Catholic Charities Fort Worth for a "purple card" with resource information that you can hand directly to a homeless person.If you believe that a person might be having a mental health crisis, call MHMR's I Care Call Center at 817-335-3022.To connect an unsheltered homeless person to the S.O.S. Team, call 877-414-8345. PATH can be reached through the I Care Call Center. Visit the homeless coalition's website, www.ahomewithhope.org, and click on "How Can I Help?"Help us help the homeless with severe mental illness. Help us help our community.Heather Reynolds is president & CEO of Catholic Charities Fort Worth. www.catholiccharitiesfortworth.orgSusan Garnett is deputy chief executive officer of MHMR Tarrant County. www.mhmrtc.orgHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
