ation3. Institutionalization and Govt of care. intervention of care (1700s 1950s)Before we can fully realize the potential of the Calgary situation we must first understand the issues involved. We have two differing sides to the issue, and the two sides are polarized as to what the issues really are. The first side involves the mentally ill themselves. Their issues are: Homelessness (people of the have not) No long term care Joblessness Cost of living outweighs their limited (if any) income Poor mental/health care Substance abuse Violence Nothing to do/unaware of their potential contribution to society No one seems to care/no one wants them in their community They are at an age where they are most capable and productive (adulthood)The community at large seems to be having the following issues: Frustration with mentally ill homeless littering the street (this is my choice of words) Fear of the mentally ill Threatened property values concerning the property owners They want the Government to take responsibility for the situation Thriving area wants the homeless to be relocated Retirement and family area wished to remain such (age and generation gap between this group and the other) High cost neighborhood (people of the have)The first issue I would address as a social worker would be the poor health/mental health of the street people. If there is a problem with medication not being taken, then that issue must be addressed. It seems that many people are living without proper access to the Medicare that we all take for granted, and that access should be moved into the community. This move would not only benefit the mentally ill, but the rest of the community as well. Community health centers encompass the entire range of people that live in this downtown area, and ...
