Federal judge rules that New York must move mentally ill out of group homes

[alp227]

New York State must begin moving thousands of people with mental illness into their own apartments or small homes and out of large, institutional adult homes that keep them segregated from society, a federal judge ordered on Monday.

The decision, by Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of Federal District Court in Brooklyn, followed his ruling in September that the conditions at more than two dozen privately run adult homes in New York City violated the Americans With Disabilities Act by leaving approximately 4,300 mentally ill residents isolated in warehouselike conditions.

The remedial plan offered by Judge Garaufis, drawn from a proposal presented by advocates for the mentally ill that was backed by the Justice Department, calls on New York to develop at least 1,500 units of so-called supported housing a year for the next three years in New York City. That would give nearly all residents the opportunity to move out of adult homes.

Read more from The New York Times

[jwirr]

1. This is good - I think. Having participated in this same movement

regarding the developmentally disabled I think it is a good move but it will be hard. Neighborhoods do not like group homes of any kind and they tend to fight them. It will be harder with mental illness because there is more bigotry and misinformation regarding this group.

[madrchsod]

2. my wife works for a company that has community wide housing

we had a large state run organization but it was closed in the mid 80`s. most of the population was dumped on the streets of chcago,transfered to other places,or died. she works with the ones who were lucky enough to be placed in community based housing. most of the homes are brand new and some are really nice existing homes.