Our Vision
To provide people with mental illnesses with stable housing that will contribute greatly to their recovery and prevent them from using emergency rooms, police, paramedic services, courts, jails, homeless shelters and nursing homes because they are unstable.
The use of the above facilities (which are not designed to provide services for people with mental illnesses) costs more over time than providing the basics of treatment, stable housing, case management and other recovery services that people with severe mental illnesses need to manage their illness and remain stable.
Why We Need Your Help
Managing severe mental illness requires intense effort and concentration upon treatment and recovery routines by the person with the mental illness. As is the case with most chronic illnesses, mental illness increases under extreme stress. Living in unsafe and substandard housing or being homeless are extreme stressors. Studies have shown that safe and secure housing is a key element in the ongoing recovery process for people with severe and chronic mental illness. Safe and secure housing helps people with chronic and severe mental illness avoid expensive hospitalizations and concentrate on their recovery process.
People with severe mental illness are among the poorest people living in the United States due mainly to their reliance on Social Security Disability payments, which average about $650 a month for living expenses. That entire amount might cover the normal rental of an apartment, leaving no money for food or other expenses. The Fox Valley Mental Health Foundation provides safe housing that these people can afford.