Mentally ill brother now homeless - any advice?

preciousillusions

I am so sorry. I have no advice, I wish I did, but I couldn't read this and not reply. I have a friend who is a paranoid schizophrenic and watching her decline has been awful so I can imagine to some degree how distressing this must be for you and your parents. Has he always been unstable? My friend experienced a trauma which seemed to trigger the worsening of her symptoms and like your brother she is kept 'stable' by her medication but her 'stability' is still no semblance of a life. She is not her anymore and it is just so sad. I really really hope your brother can access some kind of adequate support, and I'd definitely try getting in touch with the charities that have been mentioned, even if it's the second time around, just in case they might be in a position to help now. http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/ might also be a point of call.

Primrose

A dreadful situation. I feel for you and your parents but their and your safety must be paramount.
I can only suggest contacting your MP. He/She may be able to at least put pressure on Social Services if they are at the point where they are tempted to wash their hands of the whole business.

iammumtoone

richdeniro wrote: »

We're actually wondering what will happen when he misses the next appointment which he will as we know they'll phone us and we won't have any idea where he is and will have to tell them that they made him homeless.

Can you ring them, explain the situation and how worried you are that it seems he will not be at his next appointment, perhaps that may bring the process they put in place forward a day or two.

nicter

If your brother was subject to a section 3 he is entitled to 117 aftercare. I would contact his care co-ordinator to find out where you stand with this and why he isn't getting it
http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/legal-rights/leaving-hospital/section-117-aftercare/#.WJeVroXXIq4

although your brother left hospital some years ago the entitlement remains if he continues to have mental health needs

McKneff

You have reduced me to tears.
Real tears of pain for him for you and parents.

It is so sad that there seems to be no help for the poor lamb.
I hope you all find a solution soon . Xx

pollyannaL

to repeat what the above person said, he should still be considered for aftercare due to his previous sections. I would get right onto his local community mental health team, speak with Duty Social Worker/ CPN and as part of their 'risk assessment' inform them of your concerns and that you as a family cannot provide any informal supports/ accommodation to him. He is unintentionally homeless and the social worker/ care coordinator should be advocating for him! or at least exhausted all options. It is in their hands and if anything happens, they have it noted on their system too.
Goodluck

Savvy_Sue

prosaver wrote: »

if it was my son I would make it my mission to get him of the drugs first.
there must be be help out there?

I hope you are never in that situation, because you can make it your mission, my mission and everyone else supporting the OP in this thread's mission, but until the addict makes it THEIR mission to come off the drugs, nothing's going to really change.

there is help, but the person has to be willing and able to accept it. the combination of illegal drugs and mental health issues (dual diagnosis) seriously reduces the facilities which can offer help, and the person often lacks insight into their mental health and drug use.

prosaver wrote: »

I would go in the office of the people who are supposed to help him and not move till they helped him.
Its worked for people I know.

Apart from the aftercare situation, it sounds as if the actions taken have been reasonable: the OP's brother may not have been in the right kind of accommodation, but all tenants have the right to 'quiet enjoyment'. If one tenant makes that impossible for the others, what is the landlord to do?

pollyannaL wrote: »

He is unintentionally homeless

I'm sure you know what you're talking about but I'm not completely convinced that the local authority will accept that he is unintentionally homeless. It is a very tight definition, and anti-social behaviour may fall outside it, as do rent arrears in some circumstances.

If any of you are interested, there is a very similar (and equally distressing) situation described on change.org - search for 'remove my mentally ill brother from the streets' if you are interested.

richdeniro

Thanks Sue - we have been trying to get him off drugs for the best part of two decades. It feels like it's impossible, you aren't dealing with a rational human being when it comes to mental illness.

ljonski

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38852420

richdeniro

ljonski wrote: »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38852420

Heard this on the radio this morning.

Am expecting my brother to become one of these statistics, he can't cope or look after himself and has already lost his sleeping bag, fleece jacket, freedom pass, money (I actually think he was robbed for it).

He has no concept of timekeeping and so will miss all the soup kitchen and times that he is supposed to be somewhere to get some food from volunteers. Shelter and other charities also operate their emergency shelters for certain times and he won't be where he needs to be to get a bed for the night.

The weather is forecast to drop below zero later on this week. He won't survive it.