The Challenge of being Homeless, Addicted and Mentally Ill in California

In Stanislaus County, on February 23rd, 2022, the United States Department of Housing and urban development counted how many homeless individuals there were. Following that count, they discovered that there were 1857 homeless people in Stanislaus County. The county has a vicious cycle of homelessness, addiction, and mental illness. These three things go hand in hand. The lack of resources for mental illness causes people to self-medicate with illegal drugs. The main drugs used in Stanislaus County are Methamphetamine, heroin, and opioids. Currently, there is a massive opioid crisis going on in Stanislaus County. Over 200 related fentanyl deaths have occurred in Stanislaus County alone since January 2021. The average ages of these individuals range from 20 to 34 years old. Most of these people suffer from anxiety and depression.

The truth of the matter is in Stanislaus County, there is a lack of help for the mentally ill, leading them to a life of addiction. Anthony Trejo, 42, of Modesto, says that he struggled for many years as an addict due to his surroundings. For 17 years, he was addicted to Methamphetamine. He completed several programs, including Victory Outreach in Stockton. He stated, "Even though the drug programs were there, I wasn't ready to change. Success was a goal, but the addictive mindset did not allow me to be set free.” Anthony has been clean for five years now. Eli Contreras of Antioch, California, is a recovering addict living in Modesto, California.

Photo by Corina Fezi/ Homeless camp on a small residential street of Modesto, California.

His life of addiction started at the age of 12; he was depressed and suicidal and struggling emotionally because of his attraction to men. Eli began using drugs intravenously, and it made him not feel any emotions or feelings of guilt and depression, but eventually, it all caught up to him, and Eli kept trying to take his own life. Finally, a woman picked him up off the streets and took him to church, which completely changed his life. Now, he lives the life of a clean and sober Christian. When he was out in the '80s-'90s, there were no resources for him; nobody wanted to help a homeless homosexual drug addict. Now there are more resources, especially for the LGTBQ community. In Stanislaus County, the lack of funding damages mental health. In Stanislaus County, there are two mental health facilities. One of them is Stanislaus County behavioral health, and the other is Doctors' Hospital Behavior Health both facilities offer inpatient and outpatient services. These facilities will only house people temporarily. For example, if somebody calls and says you are suicidal, the police will pick you up, take you to the facility, and put you on a 72-hour suicidal watch. After 72 hours, they will decide whether you need to stay. Depending on how you do while you're there and depending on how your counselor decides that they want to handle your particular situation, They will determine when you get to go home, what your diagnosis is, and what medications you need to be on.

Photo Source/Corina Fezi House of Rest and Bread of life monthly food giveaway for the homeless community in Modesto, California.

Modesto's high percentage of homelessness can be linked to drug addiction and mental illness. All three of these things go together. People with mental health issues have difficulty functioning because things in their brains don't click as normal brains do. For example, just a simple task of waking up in the morning, washing your face brushing your teeth; for some people with mental health issues, there is a lack of will to do these things. People with mental illnesses may also have difficulty finding work and keeping a stable job. People who suffer from mental health issues also may have trouble getting along with coworkers and having a healthy social standing at places of employment.

Paula McDowell, licensed Program Director of Redwoods Family Treatment Center in Modesto, California, says that she believes substance abuse and mental health go hand in hand.

Photo Source/Corina Fezi Trash near a homeless camp in Modesto, California.

Paula states, "For change to access mental health, we need more funding for staffing. I would say staffing is the number one issue right now. More people are seeking services than we have available counselors.

Paula emotionally advises the struggling addict, "So if somebody is out there struggling, I would ask for help. It's sad, and you're not alone. Some of these are normal feelings that happen. If we look at human behavior, we all feel hurt, we all feel sad, we all feel like people don't like us, and we all come from backgrounds that aren't perfect. Well, most of us, a lot of us, so you are definitely not alone. Reach out; it can be anybody. It doesn't have to be a mom, a dad, anybody, a friend, and if it's a friend who is struggling, do not be afraid to say something; tell a teacher, tell your parent if you feel like there is something more going on with your friends so reach out don't be afraid to tell someone."

Photo Source/Corina Fezi Modesto PsychiatricCenter

Some people with mental illness and addiction are shamed or scared to seek help. Paula wants to convey the message that it's OK to ask for help, it's OK to reach out nobody is going to judge you; they are all here to help. A recovering addict who suffers from mental health can recover 100% from addiction and mental health with the proper treatment.

Photo Source/Corina Fezi Redwoods Family Center

Counseling and drug treatment programs really can help the mentally ill individual. The primary source of homelessness and drug abuse is mental illness and lack of treatment. It is a vicious cycle that continues to circle violently in our communities. The sad thing is a lot of people rapidly judge these people instead of trying to help them or instead of realizing the root of the problem, which is 100% mental health illness. The sad thing is you can't physically see mental health illness. The only way you can see mental illness is when you see people suffering from addiction, the homeless guy at the park sleeping on the grass, or the guy in front of the liquor store with a bottle of Hennessy inside a paper bag drinking away his problems. Nobody wants to live like that; nobody likes to be an alcoholic; nobody likes to be homeless; nobody has goals of ending up dirty in a park or standing in front of a liquor store begging for money. These are all things that happen because these people do not have control of their emotions or their brains, and that is only something that can be fixed by licensed counselors or treatment programs to get to the root of what causes these people to think that they have to settle for that life.