The difficulty of accessing consistent care and medicine, the prevalence of episode or cycle triggers, and the increased struggle of holding steady employment while enduring an episode all render individuals with mental illness especially vulnerable to chronic homelessness. Mental illness can make pathways out of homelessness more difficult, as mental illness is widely stigmatized and can interfere with an individual’s ability to navigate service systems. This is especially true when stigma leads individuals not to seek treatment. Common mental illnesses include depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and often posttraumatic stress disorder, seen often in the case of veterans and victims of domestic and sexual violence.

In their own words: Dejaris | Washington D.C., USA