“One of my mother’s biggest fears is that she might not outlive her son,” said Damon, a middle-aged man who suffers from mental illness.
The concerns of Damon’s family are shared by many elderly paternal caregivers in Central Texas, a handful of whom recently took part in a panel discussion in Temple sponsored by the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
“The primary purpose of this meeting is to acquaint our representatives and public with the people and families that are faced with mental illness,” said Ed Wood, organizer of the event.
Representatives for state Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Marble Falls, and state Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen, attended the event. State Rep. Ralph Sheffield, R-Temple, planned to attend but had to cancel because the meeting was on the day he was sworn in at the capital.
The meeting was loosely organized but the firsthand accounts of people dealing with mental illness were powerful.
Juanita Stephenson spoke about conversations she has with her grown son and how he asks her what he is going to do when she is gone.
“We need something in place where they can live safe and with pride and dignity,” Ms. Stephenson said about the lack of suitable housing options.
For many of the people in attendance at the meeting said the Rose Garden in Temple, while it serves a housing need in the community, is not suitable for their sick loved ones. The group would like to a group home to be built where the mentally infirm could help and support each other.
“Mental illness is no different than getting a severe concussion or breaking an arm. It’s an invisible paralysis,” Damon said. “A sense of community can help people with the worst of problems. When you know you are not alone, your life becomes a lot better.”
Sheffield expressed regret that he was unable to attend the discussion. He said it would be his policy to have an open door where citizens with such concerns should feel free to contact him.
“I’ll hear the concerns and if they’ve got a plan, I’m going to listen to that plan,” Sheffield said. “The bottom line is my door is going to be open. We’ve got a lot of needs out there. It’s a matter of just trying to balance those needs out.”
Local advocates don’t seem to have a clear plan yet on how to approach the housing issue, although one suggestion was a tax incentive that would encourage private investment in a group home.
The concern of panel members is that doing nothing would create more inmates in jail and homeless on the streets.
Eldon Tietje, executive director of Central Counties Center for Mental Health and Mental Retardation said the largest psychiatric facility in the state is already located in Harris County jail. He said 25 to 30 percent of the inmates in Bell County Jail have been serviced by his staff.
“I think a lot of people are on the streets or in jail because of the lack of group homes,” Damon said.
