A Proposed Expansion of Mobile Crisis Teams Aims to Deliver Mental Health Treatment Where It’s Needed Most—on the Streets
Across the city of Philadelphia, the needs of unsheltered homeless people continue to go unmet.
Experts in the field say that when a situation like homelessness threatens survival, needs that feel most immediate (like food, clothing, and shelter) take precedence, while needs that feel less urgent (such as prioritizing mental and physical health) fall by the wayside. However, both are part of the same system and are equally important to the quality of life.
Today, we spoke with the Director of Elwyn’s Mobile Crisis Unit, Bruce Anthony Lockett, to learn about a new proposal that would bring mental health care directly to people where they are.
The Proposal: Street Medicine for the Mind
Street medicine has been around for decades. Since the 1990s, mobile crisis teams have delivered care directly to people experiencing homelessness, often on the street corners where they live…