It is a misconception that mental illness = totally crazy. Lots of mental illnesses are not totally debilitating or even noticeable some of the time. Bipolar is a great example. "Committing" someone is pretty drastic. Often mentally ill homeless or transitioning people can still function without being a danger to themselves or others if they are provided with some sort of mental health and overall wellness treatment, which can come from a variety of service providers and runs the gamut from basic healthcare, shelter, food pantries, drug abuse prevention, and so on. Drug or alcohol abuse is usually one of the biggest stumbling blocks and one of the frequent triggers of behavior that lands them in jail or worse. It is also one of the hardest to push for funding for.
Unfortunately the money does not exist to do this adequately so we have a huge swath of people who go without help for so long that they ultimately get to the point that they need to be involuntarily committed, or they go to jail, or they die. In California the Prison and county jail system is the biggest mental health provider in the State, which is absurd and a totally inefficient use of resources.
People don't understand that you spend the money before problems become unmanageable, you end up saving way more money, resources and time. And lives.
Unfortunately the money does not exist to do this adequately so we have a huge swath of people who go without help for so long that they ultimately get to the point that they need to be involuntarily committed, or they go to jail, or they die. In California the Prison and county jail system is the biggest mental health provider in the State, which is absurd and a totally inefficient use of resources.
People don't understand that you spend the money before problems become unmanageable, you end up saving way more money, resources and time. And lives.