03/16/2025
Response to recent FB posting:
I am Executive Director of A Special Place so feel free to ask questions as I was not interviewed for this article. Our nonprofit is responsible for our operations, not our landlord so direct your concerns to the appropriate person(s). In a nutshell, we carefully screen each participant and provide 24/7 staff oversight with a goal of reducing their symptoms so participants can have a chance at life. We also provide emergency housing for local hospitals who have identified high-risk individuals in need of housing--i.e., homeless hospice patients who have died less than 24 hours after arriving, several individuals with dementia facing homelessness, intellectually disabled individuals with low IQs, and victims of domestic violence and/or human trafficking. We are not a company--we are a nonprofit. We have no permanent funding. We diligently work to protect the participants, community, etc. while attempting to stopgap the cycle of perpetual homelessness often involving mental illness. Participants needing to report for SO registry are assisted in doing so by staff--and the registry is a public database which shows SOs all over our community. We actively work with local LEOs to help address safety in our homes. I would encourage anyone in the community to ask questions but also consider the issue: our community has an issue with homelessness, mental health concerns, at risk individuals, those living in poverty, etc. who are human beings in need of assistance addressing their medical issues at a root cause level. By doing so, we stand to ultimately improve their quality of life and reduce the burden on society (jails, LEOs, EDs, courts, taxpayers, etc.). We can either choose to ignore the issue we read about and see on the sidewalks daily --or--we can choose to attempt to reduce the morbidity of mental illness in our community. --Carrie
