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The most surprising thing that I learned when looking up the mental illnesses in Prairie du Chien is that people tend to have substance abuse problems. According to a document posted by Crossing Rivers, most of the health issues that appear in Crawford County are due to substance abuse. The more I think about this, the more it makes sense to me because I knew that plenty of people in the local area took pride in their drinking and smoking.

Sources:
Crossing Rivers. (2013, April 15). Community Health Needs Assessment. Retrieved December 9, 2017, from https://www.crossingrivers.org/media/2869/chna-report-final-pdclinks.pdf

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Homelessness in La Crosse- Elizabeth Buchner

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Homelessness in La Crosse- Elizabeth Buchner

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I have grown up in La Crosse and did not realize how many homeless people we have around the city.  "...there are nearly 400 homeless people living in La Crosse, Crawford, Monroe and Vernon Counties, with over 60 percent of the homeless population living in La Crosse County" (Kirwan).  La Crosse has about 52,000 people the number of homeless people is still too high.  Like some of my other classmates stated the closing of Tent City really had an impact on the homeless living in our community.  According to the National Institute of Mental Health "20 to 25% of the homeless population in the United States suffers from some form of severe mental illness. In comparison, only 6% of Americans are severely mentally ill".

Sources:
Hassan, T., & Baumgartner, R. (2006). Using graph matching techniques to wrap data from PDF documents. Proceedings of the 15th international conference on World Wide Web - WWW 06. doi:10.1145/1135777.1135935

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Homelessness in Ontario, Wi- Kelsey Peterson

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Homelessness in Ontario, Wi- Kelsey Peterson

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I live in the small village of Ontario. I never see anyone that is homeless around here. Everyone knows everybody here. Whenever some is going through a rough patch there are many people that pitch in to help them. Our community is one that shares their home with a good friend if they are in need. They accept them as one of their own family members and try to do as much as possible to help them get back on their feet. In this small community, we make sure everyone has a roof over their head and food to eat. For this reason, no one in my community is sure how many people are actually homeless and have a mental illness.

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Homeless in Clarksville, TN - Logan Johnson

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Homeless in Clarksville, TN - Logan Johnson

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I live in Clarksville, TN, which is the 5th largest city in Tennessee. The estimated population as of 2016 was 150,287 (U.S Census Bureau). According to The Leaf Chronical, a local online news source for the Clarksville area, homelessness is a massive issue within our city. As Clarksville is the home of Fort Campbell for U.S Soldiers, unfortunately most of those who are homeless are veterans. As far as mental disorders go within the homeless, the two major ones are post traumatic stress disorder and depression. Neither of these mental disorders are uncommon for veterans, but they are especially rampant for those that are homeless. The Leaf Chronical also reports high rates of substance abuse within the homeless veterans, which in itself is not a metal disorder, however as we learned, substance abuse can often go hand in hand with some mental disorders. Clarksville has multiple homeless shelters set up all through out the city. They are well aware of the issue and are trying to help lower the homeless rates and seek help for those with addictions. It was a little difficult for me to come up with solid statistics for this area, as it is right on the Tennessee/Kentucky boarder. Fort Campbell is located in both states and where many of the homeless veterans in the area retire from. So along with the high rates of homelessness in Clarksville, many may also technically be in Oak Grove, KY, but still within the same area.

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Homelessness in La Crosse - Tanya Longmire

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Homelessness in La Crosse - Tanya Longmire

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I have been a resident of the La Crosse Area for 32 years now and homelessness is something that has just recently become a topic of conversation in the last few years.  I found an article about student homelessness and it just shocks me as I never realized how many people are affected by it in our own community.  In 2016, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction reported that there were 180 homeless students in the La Crosse School District.  This is the highest number in the 13 years that they have collected this type of data for.  Some of the reasons that the article references for the cause of homelessness is substance abuse, mental illness, and traumatic events.  When students, especially younger children, experience homelessness it can cause social, developmental, and academic issues.  The one thing that I do find comforting is the fact that there are several organizations in the area that concentrate specifically on eliminating homelessness, including: the Boys and Girls Club, Catholic Charities, and CouleeCap.

Source:
Hansen, N. (2017 February 20). In La Crosse's battle against student homelessness, it takes a community to raise a child. Retrieved from http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/in-la-crosse-s-battle-against-student-homelessness-it takes/article_2d23a751-ab5b-5e10-879b-ec82608d7b34.html

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Homelessness in La Crosse, WI-Cole Wilson

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Homelessness in La Crosse, WI-Cole Wilson

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In the La Crosse area the number of homeless people has increased over the last three years to over 300 people. With the closure of Tent City in 2017 the homeless population now relies on an overburdened and underfunded network of support as the La Crosse community continues to work on an issue that seems to only get worse. According to national statistics from the Substance abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 20-25% of the homeless population suffer some form of severe mental illness. These mental illnesses are difficult to properly treat or even diagnose within the homeless community. The La Crosse area is also known to be a hub city for travelling homeless people during more forgiving seasons of the year. As a result, it is not uncommon for the population numbers to exceed the reported amount in warmer months.

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Homelessness in Racine,WI- Ashley Dreckmann

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Homelessness in Racine,WI- Ashley Dreckmann

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Being from a city of about 80,000 people I definitely saw many homeless people growing up there. After doing some research on the prevalence of homelessness in Racine there was many surprising facts about how many people are homeless in the city. In 2015, FOX 6 news reported that there were more than 200 people that were chronically homeless and more than 1,000 people were helped by homeless agencies in the city of Racine. In my research I did not find how many of the people that are homeless also have a mental illness.

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I am from a small community where you see familiar faces on a day to day basis. I have not seen nor heard of anyone being homeless in the community. I think our community is one that would embrace families or individuals who are struggling with open arms and would help them to at least get back on their feet. Individuals with mental disorders tend to live with family in the town as well.

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Being from a small town, I don't see homelessness. Where I live there aren't people living on the streets. Most people in the area have either family or friends close enough that when they hit a rough spot, they just go stay with someone. Because there aren't really any homeless people, I don't really have an idea of how many homeless people in the area have a mental disorder.

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Homeless with Mental Illness in LaCrosse County - Sydney Dunham

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Homeless with Mental Illness in LaCrosse County - Sydney Dunham

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Being from a small town (West Salem), I never knew of any people living on the streets - until I did research on the mental illness of homeless people within the LaCrosse county. I found it surprising when seeing the overall numbers of people classified as homeless. In addition, I found it even more surprising the statistics of how many of that large homeless number are living with a mental illness. In one article I found, it showed that 50% of the homeless that were residents of the Salvation Army in LaCrosse needed mental health care. In fact, there was a survey done in the surrounding counties about the people served at the shelters. It was reported that there were 21 individuals with a serious mental illness that attended the shelters on September 23, 2005 alone.

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I just looked up MN in general because I couldn't find anything on Caledonia, MN because it's so small. According to twincities.com, over half of the homeless in MN are under the age of 21. There was a one-day count that came out to be around 10,000 people; 3,500 of which were children. A Wilder Research count in 2009 found 9,654 homeless people, a 25 percent increase from the 2006 study. As seen in another posting, 48% of homeless people are living with a mental illness. According to Nami.org, An estimated 26% of homeless adults staying in shelters live with serious mental illness and an estimated 46% live with severe mental illness and/or substance use disorders.

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Homeless with mental illness -Derek Myers

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Homeless with mental illness -Derek Myers

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Being from such a small community, everyone knows everyone. When someone would be struggling with homelessness the community would step in and make arrangements for the person. In a bigger community I wouldn't be surprised if there were homeless people who were affected by mental illness as well, but in my community, as far as I know, there is nobody homeless suffering with mental illness.

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Homelessness in    Norwalk, WI  -Diana Cruz               

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Homelessness in    Norwalk, WI  -Diana Cruz               

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I live in a small town of about 600 people and I have never seen people living in the streets, nor do I think there will ever be homeless people(due to our small size in population). People around here either live in town or out in the country. No matter where one lives, most people have family that lives near one another so if anyone is struggling, one can easily receive the help they need.

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Homelessness in Wilton, WI -Garret Gerke

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Homelessness in Wilton, WI -Garret Gerke

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Living in a small town of about 500 people, I have never seen anybody living in the streets. In general, everyone knows each other so they look out for one another when struggling. It is hard to say how many people don't have a home and has a mental illness.

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Homelessness found in Wilton, WI  -Ellen Marriott

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Homelessness found in Wilton, WI  -Ellen Marriott

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I am from the small town of Wilton, WI. Our population is about 500. Many people who are poor, financially unstable, and suffer with mental illnesses tend to live with family or friends. Since our town is so small, everyone tends to look after each other. You would never find someone sleeping on the streets in my town. It's hard to know for sure how many people are effected with mental illnesses and do not have their own home since we make sure everyone is being taken care of.

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Homeless in Ontario, Wisconsin: Ben Dewitt

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Homeless in Ontario, Wisconsin: Ben Dewitt

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Being from a small town, with a population floating around 500, I am not used to seeing anyone living on the streets. Though I live in the country, I still know most people in the town. Everyone knows everyone and if one is struggling financially or with a mental

illness they have friends

or family that they can live with. Ontario doesn't have any homeless people. I learned that living in a small town where everyone knows everyone has its perks.

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Prevalence of mental illness in the homeless- Allyson Nelson

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Prevalence of mental illness in the homeless- Allyson Nelson

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I live in Vernon County and contacted Coulee Cap in Westby, WI for accurate statistics. I was told that 48% of homeless people are living with a mental illness in my county. 42% of homeless people are also living with substance abuse disorders. I had no idea this many people in this small area suffered from a mental illness.

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After doing a little bit of research I found the facts to be alarming. According to an article published by Coulee Cap, in 2004 one third of homeless people in the area they serve, La Crosse, Crawford, Vernon, and Monroe counties, have a severe mental illness. In 2004 Coulee Cap also found that thirty six percent of adults who are homeless have poor to sever mental health. Thirty percent of those adults were men while forty percent of those adults were women. The most common types of mental illnesses among homeless people include major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

While researching I also found statistics on homeless children because of parents have mental illnesses or begin in trouble with the law. These numbers were very surprising to me. I had no idea who many children in our area where homeless. In 2015-2016 school year, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the La Crosse School District had 180 students who were homeless, and majority of the students were in elementary school. This number was the highest it has been in the last thirteen years.

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Youth homelessness in the coulee region. I found an article on the WXOW 19 website/archives. The article was titled Youth homelessness startlingly common in Coulee Region. The young person in the article was living in her car because her home was unsafe for her. It was a teacher who noticed she was homeless and needed help with dental needs. The homeless teen was connected to an area dentist who helped her for no charge, and to repay him she shovels every time it snows...without being noticed. The numbers in our area are sadly increasing

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Youth homelessness in the coulee region. I found an article on the WXOW 19 website/archives. The article was titled Youth homelessness startlingly common in Coulee Region. The young person in the article was living in her car because her home was unsafe for her. It was a teacher who noticed she was homeless and needed help with dental needs. The homeless teen was connected to an area dentist who helped her for no charge, and to repay him she shovels every time it snows...without being noticed. The numbers in our area are sadly increasing

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--Leslie Hill

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Mental Illness & the Homeless La Crosse, WI- Mallary Premo

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Mental Illness & the Homeless La Crosse, WI- Mallary Premo

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I am from the La Crosse County and I found information that was beneficial to read and gave me a better perspective on the homeless community. As I researched, I found that in January of 2015 there was 243 homeless people, and as of January of 2016 there was 276 people that were facing homelessness. Doing this research on this topic opened my viewpoint because I do not typically see numerous homeless people in one time or moment. In addition, it was upsetting to read/learn that there are not enough shelters for everyone who is facing homelessness including adults and children. Furthermore, as I started to research specifically how many of those homeless people are facing a mental illness, an article by the Couleecap, an organization that fights against poverty in La Crosse, stated that the specific statistics on the La Crosse County are unavailable. With that being said I did find information, but it includes more than just the La Crosse county. 1/4 homeless people are living with a serious mental illness and also about 46% are living with a severe mental illness.

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Homelessness in Wilton WI- Mckenzi Rogalla

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Homelessness in Wilton WI- Mckenzi Rogalla

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I am from a small town that has about 500 residents, and not all of them live in the town. Many residents have Wilton addresses but live in the country on farms. We have high poverty rate but you won't see any homeless people in our area. Because we are such a small town, many people are living by or near family. So when times get hard many people will move in with their folks. There is some low-income housing in our town and this might be another reason some of the less fortunate individuals in our community aren't living on the streets.

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Share the numbers in your local area and what did you learn or surprised you. Click the purple circle with the + symbol to open a text box.

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I am moving to Oahu, in May, and asked if I could share the homeless numbers on the island. Of the 953,207 people on the island of Oahu, there are 4,940 homeless. Of that population, 1,002 have a serious mental illness. Out of the 1,002, 371 were staying in shelters, transitional housing or safe havens, and 631 were living in cars, parks, beaches or on the street.
Housing in Hawaii is very expensive, and this can be a large part of the issue of the homeless. There were numbers for substance abuse that crossed over with the mental illness numbers, which we learned in our book is not uncommon.