resdivinae t1_j6n647r wrote on January 31, 2023 at 2:58 PM

Reply to comment by monagw in McPherson Square homeless camp to be cleared two months early, NPS says by Ruze42

That was part of the problem, yes. I don't pin the homeless crisis entirely on Reagan, although I think his repealing most of the MHSA in '81 was a contributing factor.

monagw t1_j6n8drm wrote on January 31, 2023 at 3:14 PM

How is this a contributing factor of any consequence for homelessness in 2023? Democratic presidents, governors and mayors could easily have restored funding to the local mental health centers defunded by the repeal of the MHSA. Why didn't they? Could be that communities resisted these centers?

resdivinae t1_j6ndl0u wrote on January 31, 2023 at 3:47 PM

Apart for the humane concerns, another major impetus behind deinstitutionalization was the cost of running asylums and facilities. The MHSA was intended to supplement state provisions with federal grants to support and maintain community mental health facilities. When those federal grants fell through, many states just didn't bother with expanding mental health facilities on their own provisions. I'm sure it's the case that some communities resisted these facilities, but that is not always an impediment. DC, for example, recently built and refurbished homeless shelters in every city ward.