Voices From the Sidewalk: Forced Treatment Would Save Lives

It was an early day in Spring when I arrived at C.H.A.N.C.E. (Community Helping Addicts Negotiate Change Effectively) and heard the news I had been dreading, “Sarah (not her real name) was found dead in the river.” My heart sank and I did my best to hold back tears, but they slowly rolled down my face.

I was a Peer Support Specialist, volunteering at CHANCE at the time. I had gotten to know Sarah well. She was an
active drug user who was about 35 years old and slept in the woods in Albany, Oregon. But she was much more than that! She was my friend and she was somebody’s child. There was a time when Sarah had her life together and she was a contributing member of society.

Sadly, drugs would overtake her and she lost everything, leaving her to fend for herself on the streets. She was someone who was very vulnerable and experienced multiple sexual assaults from others on the streets. She probably only weighed 85 pounds or so. She was very malnourished and was no longer able to walk normally, possibly from a stroke or other medical event. She could get around, but not without struggling to do so.

She was only about 35 years old. A tragic ending but not an uncommon one. Working with the homeless community is not for the faint of heart. To successfully help someone overcome their homeless circumstance, you first need to get to know them. That was the phase I was in with Sarah. I was just getting to know her well and had gained her trust, which took a long time. Sarah also had a mental illness that was untreated.

Our conversations were difficult, as she was hard to understand due to addiction coupled with mental illness. I tried to speak about life and hope and recovery. I’m not sure she could fully understand the concept at this point. She was someone
who desperately needed placed in a mental health facility. Some believe it is cruel to have forced treatment. I say it is cruel to leave our mentally ill on the streets. The outcome is rarely good when we ignore the elephant in the room.

Sarah died when she went in the river to bathe. She slipped or perhaps the waters overtook her? Either way, I will forever remember my parting words with her, “You are loved!” I would say. She reciprocated the sentiment. This story is one of many where a person experiencing homelessness literally dies. Had Sarah been required to get help, she’d still be with us.

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Barbara Thayer

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