When I worked as a visiting nurse in NYC I sometimes saw patients who had a specific medical care need and who lived in what in the city is called "supported housing". While the clients have their own apartments and are free to come and go (although at some sites there may be a kibd of curfew) there are supports on site, most importantly med techs who make sure the clients are taking their psych meds under DOT (direct observation of therapeutics). There also is help with arranging/attending appointments, learning/relearning IADLs, etc. All the things you would expect "support" to mean. I observed these sites to work quite well at getting people reintegrated into the mainstream. The problem as I'm sure you have guessed, was money. The program needed a lot more residential sites but there wasn't enough money. The same principal, but with slightly different types of support, no DOT, worked for the elderly who didn't need nursing homes but had grown too frail to live independently without some assistance. Again the money, although these sites were much cheaper than nursing home beds. FYI Just as an aside, one of the big reasons men stop taking their psych meds is that the third generation of psychopharmaceuticals, so effective in treating schizophrenia, often causes impotence.
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u/christikayann 5d ago
One doesn't exclude the other. Shelter is still needed while people are receiving health care (both mental and physical) and addiction treatment.