Re “‘A game changer’: El Cajon launching street medical team, funding for lighthouse shelter in South County” (June 14): I applaud El Cajon’s new partnership with Family Health Centers and the San Diego Rescue Mission. California’s Housing First policy is well-intentioned, but has failed many of the people who need the most help: those with severe mental illness. Providing permanent housing without first ensuring psychiatric treatment and medication compliance often leaves vulnerable individuals isolated rather than truly cared for. Stable housing is important, but it is not a substitute for treatment.
For people like my cousin who suffer from serious mental illnesses, untreated symptoms can make it impossible to maintain housing or engage in services voluntarily. Communities across California still see homelessness, psychosis, and repeated emergency interventions despite billions spent on Housing First initiatives.
A better approach would combine housing with mandatory treatment when individuals are unable to care for themselves. Compassion means more than providing an apartment — it means providing the care, structure, and accountability necessary for recovery.
— June Dudas, El Cajon