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Wednesday, June 20, 2001 Page: 6A
As a mental health advocate I would like to respond on behalf of the group
home residents in Northeastern Pennsylvania and their families to the fears
some Kingston residents are experiencing about a group home being opened in
their neighborhood. I am writing these words for the person who experiences a
severe mental illness and am also writing for children with serious emotional
problems who may need to live in neighborhood group homes. People with a
serious mental illness need the same things that you need. They may need extra
help in my daily living skills and more structure in their home than you need
in yours, but they want to feel safe in their homes too. They don’t want to
live in an institution because that is not their home. They grew up in a home
with family much like yours, with parents who were probably like your parents.
They went to the neighborhood school and had friends that lived near their
home. They want that again.
You may have read or seen on TV about someone with untreated serious mental
illness who did something to hurt someone. Until recently the media has never
portrayed the positive things that people with mental illnesses do. Did you
know that the vast majority of people with mental illnesses are not, nor were
ever, violent?
The medical profession did not have the treatment and successful
medications that they have now. Now we know that mental illness is biological.
The staff at group homes work very hard to help people with mental illness,
and they will be there to help you if you have any problems with the group
home family.
I sincerely hope this information that will help. These people have had
many obstacles to overcome, please use their diversity to teach your children
and not make obstacles for them. Please welcome them and get to know them
before you stereotype them.
Kathy Wallace
The Advocacy Alliance
Scranton