Drafter
Clerk 10/3/2007
Title
A MOTION accepting the mental illness and drug dependency action plan to prevent and reduce chronic homelessness and prevent and reduce unnecessary involvement in the criminal justice and emergency medical systems, and promote recovery for persons with disabling mental illness or drug dependency by implementing a full continuum of treatment, housing and case management services.
Body
WHEREAS, key leaders from the county criminal justice agencies and department of community and human services briefed the committee of the whole on June 19, 2006 regarding the severe problems and opportunities in caring for persons with disabling mental illness and chemical dependency, and
WHEREAS, all participants in the briefing agreed that the lack of access to ongoing treatment and housing leads to crises that, by default, require criminal justice interventions that are difficult, costly and most often not effective in resolving the problems, and
WHEREAS, there are insufficient resources currently available to adequately serve people with either mental illness or chemical dependency, or both, and
WHEREAS, when these individuals do not receive the services they need, they end up in jails, juvenile detention facilities, hospitals and other emergency services facilities that cost taxpayers and communities as much or more than the cost of appropriate treatment and supportive services, and
WHEREAS, the King County council passed Motion 12320 in July 2006 calling for the development of a three-phase action plan to prevent and reduce chronic homelessness and unnecessary involvement in the criminal justice and emergency medical systems and promote recovery for persons with disabling mental illness and chemical dependency by implementing a full continuum of treatment, housing and case management service, and
WHEREAS, phase I of the action plan, submitted to the council in September 2006, offered a description of the system improvements need...

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