b'DAYTODAY Practical help with the operations and ministry of your organization ACROSS THE STREETBeth FisherThe Mental Illness LoopBreaking the stigma and ongoing cycleM ay was Mental Health Awarenessfill in data points and subsequent stories around Month, and it began in the Unitedthe data. It is why, in large part, when people see States in 1949. Why do I share thisa large homeless contingent on the streets, they with you today74 years later?may believe everyone is experiencing the same Like Solomon said, There is nothing newsituation (usually, its that they lack a job that under the sunmental illness has been aroundwould be easy to get if they tried). Yet that is simply not what the data show. In 2022, from self-reported information, 21 percent of MTMs guests reported having a mental illness. An additional 5 percent reported struggling with addiction. The degree to which these guests mental illnesses affected their day-to-day lives was not gathered. Some may have had mild symptoms while others more extreme cases. Unfortunately, the majority of those we serve do not have the resources and support that we have. They do not have a family or friend network, so they truly suffer alone. They do not have access to top-notch mental-health medical care, so they self-medicate by drinking to numb the pain and for as long as humans have been in existence. Yetstop the hurt. But when the numbing wears off, today, I believe we are experiencing a mentalthe pain comes rushing back and the only thing health crisis of epidemic proportions. they can do at that moment is again find Here at Mel Trotter Ministries (MTM), wesomething to mask the pain. Before they know it, frequently remind our donors that the majoritythey are in a cycle of addiction. Mel Trotter him-of those whom we serve are not the stereotypicalself once said that no one ever wanted to become Beth is an author, speaker, andmiddle-aged male alcoholic. Rather, they areaddicted or become a criminal. No one chooses business coach who has workedpeople just like us who either have no relationalthat lifestyle; life just becomes too hard. Too much. with over 900 organizations tosupport to keep them out of homelessness or areWe all feel that at times, dont we? help implement process improvement solutions. She has justfacing situational homelessness, that is, a medicalIf you struggle with mental illness, you dont under 30 years of experience indiagnosis, divorce, or other life circumstancehave to hide and suffer. There is help and thereleadership, development, andbeyond their control.is hope; you are not alone. Lets seek to call change management. Beth servesStereotypes, unfortunately, exist for a reason.our communities to more empathy and less as the chief advancement officer for Mel Trotter Ministries. ContactAs humans, we are wired to fill in the gaps in ourjudgment and condemnation around the stigma her at bethfisher@meltrotter.orgown narratives when information is absent. Weof mental illness. \x03or www.bethfisher.com.46 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG JULY/AUGUST 2023'