She is not alone. Depending on how you measure it, Sheriff Dart’s jail is either the largest, or second-largest, mental-health institution in America. On any given day in Cook County jail one building is home to between 2,000 and 2,500 people with diagnosed mental illnesses. Each night’s stay costs at least $190. Costs escalate when medical care is included. The Lamp Community, a non-profit working for the mentally ill in Los Angeles, says the desperate cycle of emergency-room visits and stints in jail can exceed $100,000 a year for each homeless person. Permanent supportive housing costs only $16,000.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Aug 2013 16:27:11 +0000
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