Together, We Can Get Things Done! Housing for the Mentally Disabled-Part 1

Summary

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Individuals with mental disabilities often have a harder time being accepted in our society than the physically disabled. Communities still have the "not in my back yard" (NIMBY) attitude when it comes to housing mentally ill and developmentally disabled individuals. Unfortunately, people don't want to live next to others who are "a little different." Mental health officials report that group homes for the mentally challenged are frowned upon nationwide, and opposition is in part based on fear and a heightened sense of need for security. Some of the biggest obstacles to the acceptance of group homes are based on fear: fear of mental illness, fear of increased crime rates, and fear of decreasing property values. Although these fears have been shown to have no basis over and over again, people keep raising the same issues anywhere group housing is being proposed. Some upscale neighborhoods claim that it would change the ambience of the neighborhood or that it would change the tax base, but these are all excuses.

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Extract

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Together, We Can Get Things Done! Housing for the Mentally Disabled-Part 1

Until now, the focus in my articles has been mostly on the physical aspect of disabilities, but this week I would like to share with you the first part of a two-part...

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