No help for the homeless

A homeless man in Sisters, possibly with mental illness, may be on a collision course with police.

Less than two weeks ago, the indigent was given a citation for trespassing at a local business after being told several times not to loiter on the premises. He has had several confrontations with sheriff's deputies who have attempted to inform him of the law.

If he continues to be the subject of complaints and receive citations, he is likely to end up in jail, at least for a short while.

According to Mary Teixeira, case worker with the Deschutes County Department of Mental Health, very few other options are available.

"If he goes to the county jail, there is a psychologist there. The psychologist will do an assessment, offer medications and offer a consultation with a psychiatrist. That is based on whether they have enough to hold him. Being a nuisance isn't (usually) enough. He has to become aggressive, to tell the truth," Teixeira said.

Unfortunately, this type of "treatment" via police intervention can be damaging, according to Teixeira.

"I am sure store owners are less than charmed" having him on their doorstep, she said, but taking him to jail "is a bad way to treat someone who is mentally ill.

"It sets in motion a level of mistrust and that snowballs. It increases their paranoia, scares them to death, further polarizes the situation which means in the long run you end up with the potential for disaster.

"They hurt themselves or someone else."

The indigent in Sisters has a problem with his left eye. It worries him and causes him discomfort. He did see a local doctor and was referred to a specialist, but he won't accept a ride to the specialist and has refused further treatment.

Despite the possibility that his condition may worsen, he can not be compelled to accept treatment, nor can he be compelled to be treated for mental problems, if they exist.

"The only way we can make him take medication is if we can get enough material to justify a commitment. The only way to justify commitment is evidence that he is a danger to himself or others," said Teixeira.

A better system would be for a mental health case worker to contact the indigent in his preferred environment "to try to talk to him, bring him food, offering to arrange a shower... that's really the best way to do it."

The goal, according to Teixeira, is to "engage the client and be a positive part of their delusional system, so down the road they will hopefully be willing to try some medication. We are not there yet. We have a few case managers who work out in the community, but they are completely overwhelmed.

"We desperately need case managers that can do this, but the only way we can do that is if we can get an increase in budget," she said.

Yes, there are shelters, Teixeira said, but most of the time homeless people with mental issues "don't want to be in a shelter, because it is scary and dangerous for them.

"The way things are here, the best way to get care for somebody like this is to get them into jail," she said.

In some communities, police and mental health professionals "work together so a situation doesn't escalate," she said. The best outcomes result from early encounters, regular encounters, and the establishment of a trust relationship by arranging for some kind of food and some kind of shelter.

"One thing you might try is to have somebody from the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office talk to one of our on-call people on how to approach him, arrange for a place for him to go to the bathroom, arrange for him to get food," said Teixeira.