Housing Plan for Mentally Ill Criticized : Health: The county proposal gives more people the option of living on their own as facilities disappear. But others say more money should be spent on board-and-care programs.

By TINA DAUNT

Nov. 29, 1991 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Housing for the mentally ill is disappearing in Ventura County, patient advocates say. Two board-and-care homes are up for sale, funding for a large housing project was rejected, and there is no long-term locked facility for the sickest patients.

But officials for the county Department of Mental Health say they have come up with a plan to solve some of the problems.

Under the proposed Housing Resource Plan, the county would spend more than $5.8 million during fiscal 1991-92 to beef up housing programs, while giving more mentally ill people the option of living on their own through an extensive subsidized housing program.

The plan, however, is receiving bad reviews from mental-health advocates, who say the county still is not doing enough to address the mammoth problems. A meeting to discuss the issue will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the county’s multipurpose room, 300 Hillmont Ave., in Ventura. Already the battle lines are being drawn.

Randy Feltman, the director of the Department of Mental Health, said officials have crafted the plan to give patients the best possibility of living in the community.

While some patients need the structure of board-and-care homes, others can make it on their own if given help, he said.

Feltman has proposed spending $300,000 for the 1991-92 fiscal year to assist 250 to 300 mentally ill people who are capable of living independently.

“We can provide them with first and last (month’s rent) and maybe a little money for furniture,” Feltman said. “They can live as a normal person of the community. We can help them overcome their financial barriers.”

Cathy Higgins, who has schizophrenia, is one of a handful of people now living in regular settings in the community with the help of the county. She served as a model when officials put together their plan.

“When you’re in a board and care, you are being taken care of,” she said. “There was a time when I needed to be in a board and care. Now I can take care of myself. I’m glad I was given the chance.”

But members of the Ventura County chapter of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill said it is impractical for the county to put so much emphasis on independent living. Advocates say more funding needs to be put into the county’s beleaguered board-and-care facilities.

So far, $80,000 has been earmarked for one large board-and-care home under the county’s plan--not nearly enough to meet the need, according to advocates.

“We have to be reasonable and sensible,” said Lou Matthews, president of the local chapter of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill. “There are some people who are high-functioning enough that they can live independently. There are many who cannot.”

Matthews said county officials should go out of their way to bolster the group homes and keep as many afloat as possible. Advocates criticized mental-health officials for their treatment of Lilly Buenafe, owner of two major board-and-care homes for 118 mentally ill people.

Buenafe announced last week that she will sell the Sandpiper Manor in Oxnard and the Santa Clara Manor in Ventura because she is tired of hassling with county officials. Advocates fear the sale of the homes will leave patients out on the streets.

If Buenafe’s facilities go under, only about 150 beds in board-and-care homes will remain for the mentally ill countywide, advocates say.

“We’ve been in a state of crisis for a long time,” said Patricia Sandwall, a member of the alliance. “The board-and-care homes are the backbone of the system, and now we are facing a serious problem.”

Until June, the county paid Buenafe about $11,500 a month to cover expenses of 30 clients, including entertainment and clothing. But officials decided to cut funds for the two private homes because they saw little improvement in the condition of the state-financed facilities.

According to Feltman, officials figured their funds could be better used elsewhere. Officials said they spent the past six months fine-tuning the plan that defines how the county’s housing money, in general, should be spent.

About $5 million of the money was obtained from the state as part of a pilot program for the mentally ill. He said the county department kicked in the rest from its own coffers. Some of the programs are already in place and some will be adopted once the plan is approved, Feltman said.

Despite the criticism from advocates for the mentally ill, Feltman said he believes the proposed housing plan will address many of the needs of the mentally ill. He said none of the residents of Buenafe’s facilities will end up homeless.

“It will not solve all the problems,” he said. “But it will provide balance and the best value for the funds we have.”

In addition to providing funding for independent living, the plan includes:

* $3.4 million for 36 beds at Camarillo State Hospital.

* $1.1 million for 43 beds at three locked facilities in Los Angeles and Kern counties, which will be used until the county can obtain its own locked facility.

* $290,000 for a 12-bed intensive residential treatment program.

* $60,000 for a group home for six mentally ill people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol.

* $238,000 for shelters and emergency housing.

* $86,880 for 12 mentally ill senior citizens.

* $183,400 for 60 homes for semi-independent people.

* $48,000 for respite care for the families who take care of their mentally ill relatives at home.

The plan also includes $100,000 for consulting and planning fees for a facility that will house about 130 mentally ill people on Lewis Road.

The Lewis Road project--which will be a main part of the county’s long-term housing plan--was dealt a major blow last spring when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development officials decided not to allocate $3.9 million to build it.

Consultants, however, are working to get around the HUD decision, according to county officials. Funding is expected to be obtained within a few years, Feltman said.

Ultimately he hopes the housing plan, which provides assistance to 2,000 people, will be used as a model for other counties in the state.

“We are very excited about our plan,” he said. “The complaints are distracting people from the fact this is a spectacular, exciting step forward for the county and for our clients.”