This Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re focusing on a group that faces some of the deepest struggles—and the greatest resilience: individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. At Dreams for Change, we worked alongside more than 900 people in 2024 who fall into this category. Each person’s story is unique, but nearly all are tied together by the thread of mental health.
The Overlooked Connection
Chronic homelessness is more than just the absence of housing. It’s often rooted in complex layers of trauma, mental illness, and survival. Many of the people we serve live with serious mental health conditions like PTSD, traumatic brain injuries caused by concussions, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or severe depression. For many, these conditions didn’t start on the street, but life on the street makes them so much harder to manage.
As one participant shared, “It’s not just about being homeless. It’s about feeling invisible, like your mind is working against you and no one sees it.”
The Critical Gap in Treatment
There’s an alarming shortage of mental health treatment beds and wraparound services. Even when someone is ready to seek help, the options are limited, and waitlists are long. The result? People are left stuck in a homeless cycle, their mental health deteriorating as they wait for care.
“They tell me to hang in there, but I don’t even know where I’m hanging anymore,” said one participant.
The Reality of Self-Medication
For many living without treatment, drugs and alcohol become a way to quiet the noise, to manage symptoms alone. This form of self-medication, while understandable, often deepens the crisis.
One of our program guests put it bluntly: “Sometimes a drink is the only doctor I’ve got.”
Unfortunately, many services still require sobriety before someone can access stable shelter or care, a barrier that keeps people locked out when they need help the most.
Why Accepting Help Can Be So Hard
We often hear the question, “Why won’t they just accept help?” But trust, especially after years of trauma and rejection, is not built overnight. Many shelters are crowded and not enough shelter-type options. Paperwork, strict rules, and a lack of privacy can trigger deep-seated fears for many.
“When you’ve spent years cycling through programs and nothing changes, you just expect to be disappointed.”
How Dreams for Change Makes a Difference
At Dreams for Change, we work hard to break down barriers and rebuild trust, starting with simple, dignified care:
- Low-Barrier Services: Our Safe Sleeping program provides an alternative shelter option that is low-barrier but structured, with clear rules and expectations for participation. In addition to a place to sleep, participants have access to on-site staff who assist with navigating resources, services, and housing opportunities that meet their individual needs.
- Second-Chance Employment Training: Through paid workforce training, we help participants regain confidence and skills at their own pace. We meet people where they are, offering flexible paths forward.
- Partnerships in Care: We collaborate with nonprofits specializing in mental health and addiction treatment to ensure participants can access the right care when they’re ready. We don’t try to be everything, but we work hard to be the link that makes getting help easier.
- Respect and Autonomy: Above all, we believe in respect. Our trauma-informed team listens first and acts second, building trust with every interaction.
As one staff member put it: “We’re not here to fix people. We’re here to walk beside them until they’re ready to take that next step.”
Our Ongoing Commitment
The 900+ chronically homeless people we supported in 2024 aren’t just a number—they are mothers, fathers, veterans, survivors, and dreamers. Their journeys are hard, but their strength is undeniable. This Mental Health Awareness Month, we honor their resilience and renew our commitment to offer services that make a real difference—ones built on trust, respect, and humanity.
Because healing starts with hope, and hope starts when someone says, “You matter.”
