Havens for mentally ill urged // Panel recommends more group homes

Asserting that up to 40 percent of Chicago's homeless people arechronically mentally ill or are drug abusers, a Washingtonadministration task force yesterday proposed changing zoning laws toencourage more group homes for the mentally ill.

The task force also called for a public education campaign toallay the fears of residents who oppose putting small group homes intheir neighborhoods. Until Chicagoans come to accept the presence ofthe mentally ill, the task force said, the city's few group homeswill continue to be concentrated in the worst neighborhoods.

As Ald. Danny K. Davis (29th), reacting to the task force'sproposals, said, "People in our communities will say, `Yes, grouphomes are needed, but put them someplace else.' "

In a yearlong study released yesterday, the task force alsocalled for shifting state funds from mental institutions toneighborhood mental health agencies, providing financial support tofamilies caring for mentally ill relatives, and assigning individualcaseworkers to patients released from state mental institutions.

Mayor Washington, at a breakfast meeting of legislators,accepted the task force's recommendations and said "the task remainsto implement as many as we can."

The report warns that the number of mentally ill people withouta home is growing, an unintended result of a 15-year move by thestate to deinstitutionalize patients.

While thousands of former institutionalized patients have beenreturned to their communities, the report observes, money has notfollowed. In 1984, the state spent $79,330,200 to operate its mentalinstitutions, which house 7 percent of its clients, but only$35,672,400 on the community mental health agencies, which serve theremaining 93 percent of the state's clients.

In addition, Chicago's zoning laws require that public hearingsbe held and a special permit issued before a group home - housing sixto 12 unrelated individuals - is allowed in a neighborhood.

As a result, the report states, community-based shelters andservices for the mentally ill are sorely lacking. Chicago has fivegroup homes. The task force proposes that these zoning regulationsbe in some way changed, but does not specify changes.

The task force report estimates that mentally ill people accountfor up to 40 percent of the city's homeless population, a groupvariously estimated to be between 7,000 and 25,000 men, women andchildren.

"There has been a rapid and significant rise in the number ofchronically mentally ill people who have become homeless," the reportstates. "There has been an increase in alcohol and drug abuse, crime,domestic violence, and generally impulsive erratic behavior."

The task force comprises representatives from the mayor's officeand 11 city agencies and departments. Among its otherrecommendations are the following: The creation of group homes on the grounds of state hospitals, ifnecessary, to increase the total number of group homes. More frequent and thorough inspections of existing group homes toensure they are safe, sanitary and humane. Creation of regulations and "incentives," perhaps including statesubsidies, to eliminate substandard boarding homes for the mentallyill. Dr. Maisha B. H. Bennett, deputy city health commissioner, saidsome boarding homes have a history of taking advantage of mentallyill residents. One home, she said, served "corn flakes forbreakfast, corn flakes for lunch and corn flakes for dinner." Creation of a case-management system to keep track of thedeinstitutionalized mentally ill. Under such a system, Bennett said,each patient scheduled for discharge from an institution would beassigned a caseworker. That caseworker would oversee the patient'sprogress back in the community, making sure he keeps his counselingappointments, takes medication and has a decent home.