The state of Texas has a longstanding record of under-funding the need when it comes to mental health services.  [T]he fact that the population continues to increase in this area but the funding doesn't means you have to make tough decisions about who gets services and how much they get.

Dr. James Baker, CEO, Dallas MetroCare

Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally.  According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), an estimated 22.1 percent of Americans 18 and older – about 1 in 5 adults – suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a give year.  When applied to the 2004 U.S. Census population estimate for Dallas, this figure translates to over 250,000 people. 

According to United Way of Metropolitan Dallas statistics, over 90,000 in Dallas County suffer from the effects of severe mental illness.  This severity disables the person from effectively living and, at times, even functioning, in the community.  Based on these staggering figures, one would expect an organized, well-funded, and systematic strategy of public assistance. 

However, the mental health system in Dallas is not in good shape.  Not a month goes by without a front-page newspaper report about the system’s troubles or inadequacies.  Day by day the situation worsens and innocent people are hurt and left to fend for themselves.

In the 1980s, the mental health system began a process of deinstitutionalization, sending people who had previously lived under the care of the state hospital system out into the community.  Whereas a community-based support system was idealized, due to inadequate state funding and ineffective treatment regimens, many people living with mental illness have been left at the mercy of unregulated boarding homes, overburdened caseworkers, and incomplete public programming. 

All people deserve food, shelter, adequate medical care, and respect.  Therefore, how much more does a person struggling with a serious illness require the essentials of life.  Therefore, if private insurance and/or public funds will not step up, alternate measures must be instigated.  While the Well Community began as a simple outreach to hurting people, we are now seeking to develop and provide a portion of the missing resources desperately needed within our city.  

In Dallas County, no other faith-based organization focuses exclusively on low-income people living with mental illness.

Relevant Statistics

Texas ranks 49th nationally in mental health spending per client, according to the Austin-based Mental Health Association in Texas. The Dallas-area system ranks 35th out of 40 regions or counties in spending per person for services, according to the Dallas Area NorthSTAR Authority.

“Cuts threaten the vulnerable”, The Dallas Morning News, June 2, 2005

    A review of major headlines (Jan 2005-Current)

• Tragedy highlights cracks in system: Arson case shows need for better mental care, experts say (February 4, 2006)
• Mentally ill man languishes in jail (December 23, 2005)
• Mentally ill care worsens: Jail situation under scrutiny; state hospitals overburdened (July 18, 2005)
• Cuts threaten the vulnerable: City's acclaimed mental health system at crisis point (June 2, 2005)
• Budget cuts taking toll on mentally ill (February 7, 2005
• Since funding cut, more turn to ERs for mental-health help (January 24, 2005)

2005 Community Needs Assessment

• In a 1999 report by the U.S. Surgeon General, it is estimated that, during a one-year period, 20% of adults in the U.S. have a diagnosable mental illness.
• The Surgeon General estimates that 5.4% of adults in the U.S. have serious mental illness.  This rate translates to more than 90,000 adults in Dallas County in 2005.
• The number of persons served through NorthSTAR [i.e., the public behavioral health care insurance program] increased from 9,795 in State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2000 to 17,850 in SFY 2004.  During SFY 2004, an estimated 247,627 people were eligible for services, but the number served was only 17,850 (monthly average). (NOTE: The NorthSTAR service area includes Collin, Dallas, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro, and Rockwall Counties.)
• In Dallas County, more than 330,000 adults experience some form of mental illness, almost 1 in 5 residents, with over 93,000 experiencing a disabling and severe mental illness.