Laura
02-25-2009, 07:34 AM
Suit Progresses on Housing for Mentally Ill
By JULIE BOSMAN NYT 2/19/09 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/nyregion/20adult.html?_r=1
A lawsuit filed nearly six years ago seeking to force NYS to overhaul the system under which thousands of mentally ill people are housed in adult homes will proceed to trial, a federal judge ruled on Thursday.
Adult homes, which house about 4,000 mentally ill residents in NYC, have long been criticized for their isolated and sometimes sordid conditions.
The decision to move the case to trial was made by Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of Federal District Court in Brooklyn.
Lawyers for several nonprofit groups brought the lawsuit, charging that the state had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide the mentally ill with the most integrated, least restrictive setting appropriate to their needs. Many people in the homes could be better served by living in their own homes, at no greater expense to the state, lawyers for the organizations contended.
The state has countered that residents of adult homes are already in an integrated setting, and that the changes suggested by the plaintiffs would constitute a fundamental alteration of the state's services.
Cliff Zucker, the executive director of Disability Advocates, one of the plaintiffs, said that the condition of adult homes "has been a scandal for well over 20 years."
"There are thousands of individuals in these large adult homes in New York City that are essentially segregated institutional settings for people with mental illness," said Mr. Zucker.
He added that he was pleased that the case would be tried.
While no date has been scheduled for the case, it is expected to be tried this year.
The state attorney general's office declined to comment on the progress of the suit.
By JULIE BOSMAN NYT 2/19/09 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/nyregion/20adult.html?_r=1
A lawsuit filed nearly six years ago seeking to force NYS to overhaul the system under which thousands of mentally ill people are housed in adult homes will proceed to trial, a federal judge ruled on Thursday.
Adult homes, which house about 4,000 mentally ill residents in NYC, have long been criticized for their isolated and sometimes sordid conditions.
The decision to move the case to trial was made by Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of Federal District Court in Brooklyn.
Lawyers for several nonprofit groups brought the lawsuit, charging that the state had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide the mentally ill with the most integrated, least restrictive setting appropriate to their needs. Many people in the homes could be better served by living in their own homes, at no greater expense to the state, lawyers for the organizations contended.
The state has countered that residents of adult homes are already in an integrated setting, and that the changes suggested by the plaintiffs would constitute a fundamental alteration of the state's services.
Cliff Zucker, the executive director of Disability Advocates, one of the plaintiffs, said that the condition of adult homes "has been a scandal for well over 20 years."
"There are thousands of individuals in these large adult homes in New York City that are essentially segregated institutional settings for people with mental illness," said Mr. Zucker.
He added that he was pleased that the case would be tried.
While no date has been scheduled for the case, it is expected to be tried this year.
The state attorney general's office declined to comment on the progress of the suit.