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Metro Phoenix could save millions of dollars of taxpayer money per year by providing supportive housing to people with chronic mental illnesses like schizophrenia, according to a new report out of Arizona State University.
The report from the university s Morrison Institute for Public Policy found that it is almost 30% cheaper to provide housing to people with serious chronic mental illness than it is to allow them to become homeless.
Most significantly, a person s health care costs decreased by almost $20,000 per year when they were living in a housing program that provides on-site behavioral and medical supports, the report found.
Reform Psychiatric Security Review Board now
Christopher Lambeth is accused of the horrific murder of a fellow resident in a group home in Gilbert on April 12. There is no doubt this will spark public debate about the risks associated with group homes in residential areas, solidifying the position for Not-In-My-Backyard, or NIMBY, understandably so. The public deserves an expectation from our elected officials at the state and local levels to ensure the utmost standards of safety in our cities and neighborhoods. People living with disabilities like serious mental illness deserve to be provided for with dignity and in a safe environment.