OUR
OUR CONVERSATION ON MENTAL HEALTH DURING THE PANDEMIC CONTINUES TONIGHT
-- FOCUSING ON
THE HOMELESS POPULATION AND HOW
THE PANDEMIC
IMPACTED THEM.
FOLKS LIVING ON THE STREET FACE
A LOT OF STRUGGLES...
AND AS KVUE'S MOLLY OAK FOUND
OUT... MENTAL HEALTH
IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST.
EVERYONE NEEDS SOMEONE TO LEAN
ON.. "WE HAVE MAYBE ABOUT 10 TO 11
PEOPLE HERE, SO
QUITE A LARGE FAMILY YOU MIGHT
SAY."
A FAMILY.. WHETHER BY BLOOD OR
FRIENDSHIP..
CAN BE A SUPPORT SYSTEM.. CAN
HELP PEOPLE
HEAL.
"WE'VE JUST GOT WORD THAT THERE
MAY BE TWO MORE
WOMEN COMING AND STAYING WITH US
BECAUSE OF
THEIR BAD SITUATIONS."
AMIE PARKER LIVES UNDER I35..
OR AS SHE CALLS IT CAMP SAFE
HAVEN.
"COME BE SAFE. WARM YOURSELF BY
THE FIRE. TALK
TO ANYONE THAT IS AROUND AND
THAT'S WHAT MAKES ME FEEL
GOOD."
PEOPLE HELP. THEY HELP HER FEEL
INCLUDED, HELP HER FEEL
LOVED.
WHAT HASN'T HELPED? LIVING AN
ALREADY ISOLATED LIFE..
IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC.
"IT'S REALLY TAKEN A TOLL. I'VE
GONE DOWNHILL. I'VE
BEEN UPHILL, I'VE BEEN DOWNHILL,
IT'S BEEN A ROLLER
COASTER FOR ME"
THAT MENTAL TOLL FOR MANY
STARTED LONG BEFORE COVID-
19 HIT..
THE ENDING COMMUNITY
HOMELESSNESS COALITION
REPORTED 72% OF PEOPLE WHO ARE
HOMELESS IN AUSTIN SAID IT
WAS CAUSED BY TRAUMA OR ABUSE.
"ALMOST EVERY PERSON
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
HAS ENDURED SOME SORT OF TRAUMA
AND SOME WOULD
ARGUE ARE EXPERIENCING TRAUMA
EVERY SINGLE DAY, TO
NOT HAVE ACCESS TO ANY SORT OF
COUNSELOR OR
ANY SORT OF THERAPY OPTIONS IN
ADDITION TO THE
MEDICATION IS REALLY KIND OF
LIKE SHORT HANDING THE
RESPONSE RIGHT FROM THE START."
MARK HILBELINK IS THE DIRECTOR
OF SUNRISE HOMELESS
NAVIGATION CENTER IN AUSTIN. "I
THINK MENTAL HEALTH CARE IS A
DIFFICULT
DIFFICULT THING TO ACCESS IN GENERAL, LIKE FOR YOU AND I, IT'S DIFFICULT."
HE SAYS THERAPY IS PRETTY MUCH
NONEXISTENT
FOR THE HOMELESS COMMUNITY,
MEANING MANY
ARE LEFT WITH A MEDICINAL
RESPONSE.
"BUT THEN THEY DON'T TAKE IT
CORRECTLY OR THEY DON'T
KNOW HOW TO TAKE IT CORRECTLY OR
THEY GET IT
STOLEN OR THEY LOSE IT. AND JUST
THE ODDS OF SOMEONE
ACTUALLY MAKING IT FROM THE
POINT WHERE THE
DOCTOR WRITES THE SCRIPT TO THE
END OF THE SCRIPT IS
VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE."
NOT TO MENTION.. HILBELINK SAYS
PEOPLE DON'T
ALWAYS HAVE ACCESS TO RELIABLE
TRANSPORTATIO
N TO MAKE IT TO APPOINTMENTS OR
ACCESS TO A PHONE FOR
TELEMED.
"AND TO COMPOUND THAT, A LOT OF
THE AGENCIES
THAT HELPED THE HOMELESS AND
ALLOWED THEM TO GAIN
ACCESS TO THE INTERNET OR GAIN
ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY IN
THEIR SPACES, INCLUDING PUBLIC
LIBRARIES AND
MANY OF THE SOCIAL SERVICE
PROVIDERS CLOSED DOWN
DURING THE PANDEMIC."
SUNRISE HOMELESS NAVIGATION
CENTER STAYED
OPEN. IT KEPT SERVING PEOPLE.
NATS FROM PATH TEAM
SO
SO DID
SO DID INTEGRAL CARE'S PATH TEAM. "THE PROCESS HASN'T CHANGED.
WE'RE DOING
THE SAME THING WE WERE DOING
BEFORE COVID."
WHAT HAS CHANGED.
"THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WE'RE
FINDING IS GREATER AT
THE CAMPSITES."
THE PATH TEAM OR PROGRAMS TO
ASSIST IN THE TRANSITION
FROM HOMELESSNESS WORDS
BEHIND?
BEHIND?
--GOES
--GOES INTO CAMPS.. LOOKING FOR AND GETTING RESOURCES TO PEOPLE WHO ARE
STRUGGLING
WITH MENTAL HEALTH OR SUBSTANCE
ABUSE.
"EVEN WHEN THEY HAVE A SENSE OF
COMMUNITY,
THEY STILL FEEL ISOLATED BY THE
MAJOR COMMUNITY."
NATS FROM PATH TEAM
BOTH THE PATH TEAM AND SUNRISE
HOMELESS
NAVIGATION CENTER ARE WORKING TO
CHANGE THAT.
"IT'S BEEN REALLY HELPFUL
KNOWING THAT WE'VE GOT
TEAMS DOWN HERE THAT COME TO
CHECK ON US, MAKE
SURE THAT WE'RE DOING OK." IT
HELPS AMIE GET THROUGH THE HARD
DAYS.
DAYS. "MY
DAYS. "MY MENTAL HEALTH HAS GONE FROM. LIKE, SAY, ON A SCALE OF ONE TO 10, ONE BEING
THE WORST, 10
BEING THE BEST, IT'S GONE FROM A
2 OF BEING OR FEELING
SEPARATED, ISOLATED TO NOW BEING
MAYBE 8 ON THE
SCALE. WE'RE ALMOST THERE TO A
10, BUT WE COULD ALWAYS
USE MORE."
THERE'S STILL A LOT OF WORK TO
BE DONE TO HELP THOSE
WHO ARE HOMELESS DEAL WITH THEIR
MENTAL HEALTH.
BUT SOME DAYS..
"HONK IF YOU HAVE LOVE IN YOUR
HEART."
SERVE AS A REMINDER..
"THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT
THERE THAT GENUINELY DO
CARE ABOUT THE WELL-BEING OF
EVERYONE ELSE."
HAVING PEOPLE WHO CARE.. CAN
MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
IT'S
IT'S GOTTA BE DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO FIND HELP SOMETIMES.
I'VE HAD PEOPLE REACH OUT TO ME
SAYING HOW TOUGH IT IS FOR
THEM TO EVEN GET AN APPOINTMENT
AT A THERAPIST
DURING THE PAST YEAR.. AND
THAT'S PEOPLE WHO HAVE
HOMES.. AND CARS AND COMPUTERS
AND CELL
AND CELL
PHONES.
PHONES. SO THERE'S A LOT THESE FOLKS ARE UP AGAINST.