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It's kinda both. In NZ in the 90s, residential care for people with severe mental illness was replaced with "community care" where all those patients be helped

It's kinda both. In NZ in the 90s, residential care for people with severe mental illness was replaced with "community care" where all those patients be helped to go flatting the community, and have their condition treated so well that there was no need for residential care facilities. It's far better! It's more respectful! It's also incidentally going to let us trim millions from the Health budget so we can pay for the tax cuts for high earners! The care provided in the community was wisely delegated to the Almighty Invisible Hand of the Free Market, so a bunch of fly-by-night sub-par contractors sprung up to get the government cash and then provide very little care at all, and so large numbers of former patients ended up homeless due to their poorly controlled illness, and well gosh, hard to care for them in the community when you don't know where they live right? It's an absolute debacle, and a great demonstration that neoliberalism is nothing more a belief set for business people who don't like paying tax. But I fully agree that homelessness is a great medium for developing mental illness and drug dependencies.

WarOnPrivacy 3y ago
> residential care was replaced with "community care" where all those patients be helped to go flatting the community, and have their condition treated so well that there was no need for residential care facilities. I think you posted this in good faith but reads like a fairy tale. By definition, folks who need long-term inpatient care aren't going to be sufficiently treated by outpatient programs. My spouse needs long-term, inpatient care. Not permanent care but the adjustments she needs aren't going to take place over 72 hours or 7 days. They're going to take months. She didn't get the needed months of treatment. She got decades of the fairy tale. She's homeless now and likely will be until it kills her.
- orwin 3y ago
  > I think you posted this in good faith but reads like a fairy tale I read GP's post as sarcastic, I think you both agree. Thank you for the explanation on why it isn't great though.
- EdwardDiego 3y ago
  I wish it was make believe. It's what happened in NZ in the 90s. It wasn't just mental illness patients affected, it was also those with significant intellectual disabilities. At least there's an NGO sector that could develop the ability to provide housing and care for them. For an anecdote.

WarOnPrivacy 3y ago

> residential care was replaced with "community care" where all those patients be helped to go flatting the community, and have their condition treated so well that there was no need for residential care facilities. I think you posted this in good faith but reads like a fairy tale. By definition, folks who need long-term inpatient care aren't going to be sufficiently treated by outpatient programs. My spouse needs long-term, inpatient care. Not permanent care but the adjustments she needs aren't going to take place over 72 hours or 7 days. They're going to take months. She didn't get the needed months of treatment. She got decades of the fairy tale. She's homeless now and likely will be until it kills her.

orwin 3y ago
> I think you posted this in good faith but reads like a fairy tale I read GP's post as sarcastic, I think you both agree. Thank you for the explanation on why it isn't great though.
EdwardDiego 3y ago
I wish it was make believe. It's what happened in NZ in the 90s. It wasn't just mental illness patients affected, it was also those with significant intellectual disabilities. At least there's an NGO sector that could develop the ability to provide housing and care for them. For an anecdote.