Arkansas lawmakers heard a proposal Thursday that could change how the state responds to homelessness by putting more focus on mental health and addiction treatment.
During a committee meeting at the Capitol, presenters told lawmakers that Arkansas has roughly 2,500 people experiencing homelessness statewide, including about 1,300 people living unsheltered. They argued that many people experiencing homelessness are also dealing with untreated mental illness or substance abuse.
One recommendation discussed was to apply for a federal SAMHSA planning grant to expand Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) statewide. Supporters say those clinics provide mental health care, addiction treatment, crisis response, and recovery services.
Paul Webstrom, a policy analyst with the Cicero Institute, told lawmakers that Arkansas needs more treatment options for people struggling with serious mental illness.
“We know there are a lack of public state hospital beds for folks that are seriously mentally ill,” Webstrom said. “We also know there are challenges with respect to civil commitment issues.”
Fort Smith Police Chief Danny Baker was also a part of the panel, sharing the law enforcement perspective on homelessness and public safety.
“I’ve had conversations within the last year about concerns of increased sex offenders within the homeless population, so we’re very much aware of that and do our very best to make sure that we keep track of those folks,” Baker said.
Rusty Hallwick, CEO of Western Arkansas Counseling and Guidance Center, said her organization already uses the CCBHC model in Western Arkansas and has seen strong results.
“Our outcomes have really been tremendous,” Hallwick said. “We have shown, I think, a 79% reduction in homelessness in these people, 70% reduction in time spent in hospitals, 58% reduction in ER visits, and 84% less time in correctional facilities and arrests.”
5NEWS visited Hope Campus in Fort Smith, where Program Director Kristin Conley said the issues lawmakers discussed are the same ones she sees every day.
Conley said many people who come through Hope Campus are dealing with mental health struggles, substance abuse, or the feeling that there is nowhere else to turn.
“They just feel like there’s not a way,” Conley said. “We can be that guide for them.”
Conley said expanding access to treatment and recovery resources could help people get support before a crisis leads to homelessness, hospitalization, or jail.
“Opening more doors up would allow of the resources to really blossom for these people and guide them in the direction they need,” Conley said.
She said she hopes policymakers remember the people behind the statistics.
“If they could treat each piece of paper as if it’s an actual human being, every rule as if it’s an actual human being, every rule as if it’s a human being, and really think about what the ripple effect is going to be, I think that we have more success instead of it just being a piece of paper,” Conley said.
Lawmakers did not take action Thursday, but several expressed interest in continuing the conversation about expanding mental health and substance abuse services through these programs.