Dear readers,

Here in California, we hear a lot this year about “how unprecedented these times are”. And, while it can sound like a parrot, it is quite true. No one here should deny that.

Subscribers to my blog also have likely read my extensive paper on topic of mental health – including CA’s homeless, and psychiatry.

Many changes have taken place in the way we are living right now. Fortunately, not everything about out lives has become unrecognizable. We are resuming some positive norms.

One of these significant changes, involves what remains to be verified as temporary housing for the street people of our state.

Luxury hotels in various parts of our state are said to be this month opening up their rooms – partnering with government presumably, to make free, temporary, housing, to homeless populations available.
[This news has been broadcast on “AM radio 600”, San Diego, CA county’s broadcast radio program].

Many of such resident guests who will be housed there, are presumably mentally ill and/or criminals. Their state if health has not been any secret for many years.

With so many persons calling everyone’s attention to the “need for mental health services”, though a vague and blanket statement which could be improperly applied in draconian fashion (misapplied), such announcements have long been a build-up to the present day organization and authority of county leaders.

Their attention to this is not to be misused. Which is why we need to participate.

Apparently, according to my best guess, at least one big financier is paying hotels for this room and board on behalf of persons who might otherwise be street people,
most indigent, and perhaps drug addicted.

My advice, is that the psychiatrists of county health officials should soon be “on the march” (as it were), going to these hotel rooms with county authority and hotel permission – in order to convince the guests to willingly enroll in county outpatient services; and, the much talked about generalized phrase: “mental health services”, for the county and city’s temporary, free-ride, hotel guests.

Now, I suppose there will be those guests who will opt to refuse those services… in which case they will have decided that when they’ve overstayed their welcome, they may be forced to return to the streets – if there is no where else to go. Or, maybe they will walk in to county mental health department when the hotel says they must now leave.

The hope, is that such persons welcome the chance to receive such services; and that they utilize their guest-stay privilege on someone else’s dime only for the duration and extent in which they agree to psychiatric, psychological, general medical, and job-seeking efforts (with help from the county).

Each hotel guest, should be required to either sign a document of such agreement, or opt to sign a “refusal” document. This way, the county should track such persons and ensure that no one is being coerced into treatment.

Sounds like a pretty good idea, don’t you think?

Otherwise, these hotels will become permanent encampments – every bit as grimy as those places of the streets that previously “housed” them. Otherwise, visits from distinguished visitors and business leaders will avoid these nice hotels.

And, that, would unfortunately result in: degradation of safety, degradation of resident privilege, prostitution, other criminal activity, and weakened quality of city commerce as legitimate business people and tourists opt not to come.

My aim in posting this is not to get ahead of elected State leaders… however, it is to see that our compassion in local cities and in the entire state, is not wasted.