09/19/2025
New from our team:
"Elected officials of all political stripes, including the current president, have claimed that involuntary commitment is an evidence-based way to treat mental illnesses, including addiction. Research does show that, in certain cases, involuntary commitment can be beneficial. But in all too many cases, it’s both ineffective and inhumane. A recent report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that the institutionalization of individuals who were involuntarily hospitalized in “judgment call cases”—meaning cases where one physician might recommend hospitalization, while another would not—nearly doubled the risk of death by su***de or overdose. It also nearly doubled the likelihood of that person later being charged with a violent crime, perhaps because such institutionalization disrupted employment, subjecting people to still more dire economic circumstances. (Again, don’t ask why the addiction, ask why the pain.)"
While we continue to fight the systems that continue to cause harm, on the individual level, we can unpack our own stigma and witness and advocate for the humanity of all our neighbors.
The Trump administration is counting on us to renounce those living on the streets, while struggling with their mental health or the cost of housing (or both).
