MANHATTAN, Kan. (WIBW) – With mental health playing a big role in the homeless population, Manhattan is making strides to help those in need as local agencies are working together to help.
The Riley County Police Department has seen a steady number of calls regarding homelessness and mental health in the community over the years with an average of around 900 calls dealing with mental illness and around 35 of those being homeless. Between 30 to 50 percent of the inmates in the RCPD jail have mental illness. Once an officer is dispatched to the call, they make sure to get the person the help they need.
“We’ll reach out, work with Pawnee Mental Health, work with Be Able, as well as our victim advocate, and see if we can identify resources for these folks so that we’re not having to constantly deal with the same critical or crisis situations that they’re going through,” said Brian Peete, RCPD director.
Pawnee Mental Health Services provides care to 10 counties across the region and will provide it to anyone who walks in. The services are provided in a wrap-around model where the individual fills out paperwork to help identify their needs. Although Pawnee is not a homeless shelter they have a program for individuals who need beds with illness.
“They have a severe mental illness they wouldn’t fit in a shelter and what we do is we provide the support around their needs for mental health they stay within the program for about 90 days more or less once they’re on their feet and they’re stabilized and they’re able to go back into the community we provide case management, we provide different types of support to them,” said Mike Rezkalla, CEO of Pawnee Mental Health Services.
The U.S. Department of Housing in Urban Development does a pointing time count and in 2022 over 500,000 were surveyed as homeless individuals across the country, 21% of those were mental illness, and has grown 16% since 2020. Be Able is one local organization in Manhattan that provides services to the homeless community.
“We spend time just allowing them to be in a safe space with other people and then we assess and triage as needed to see what kind of mental health issues are happening, a lot of times somebody going through a mental health crisis might retreat and so it’s our job to kind of keep an eye on them,” said Stephanie Grynkiewicz, volunteer coordinator for Be Able.
Be Able is starting to see a rise in homeless people in mental health crises at a higher level than Manhattan can help. Having access to the services provided is key to helping people get better and the collaboration between city partners makes a big difference.
“We are very committed to access and very committed to working with community partners we understand that homelessness is a challenge that has been growing throughout the country and we work very diligently with community partners and really the takeaway is collaboration and providing more access,” said Rezkalla.
Be Able is open Monday through Saturday as a community hub to stay out of the heat or cold and offer a safe environment for those who need it.
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