Mental health advocates descend on Georgia Capitol to rally for service improvements
When 2022’s behavioral health parity bill was signed into law, Janet Norris was sitting in a Bartow County jail cell.
A lot has changed for her since then. After struggling with addiction for 27 years, the Cartersville, Georgia, resident found recovery through mental health court. She said the program saved her life, reunited her family and set her on a path to becoming a peer specialist and addiction counselor to help others.
And Tuesday, Norris joined advocates at the state Capitol — just a couple weeks shy of her one-year anniversary of sobriety — to push for more reforms and resources for others facing their own behavioral health challenges.
“That’s why I’m here — to be a voice of courage for the other ones who can’t be and who aren’t where I am,” she said.
Norris was among the hundreds of mental health advocates pushing for measures that will grow the behavioral health workforce, increase access to services and expand the state’s behavioral health care system.
Many of the advocates wore green shirts that honored the late House Speaker David Ralston, who made improving access to behavioral health treatment his top priority in what would end up being his last legislative session.
The 2022 bill was celebrated as a meaningful first step toward lifting Georgia from the bottom when it comes to access to mental health treatment.
“The way we’re going to honor his legacy is much more than putting his name on the back of a T-shirt,” Jeff Breedlove with the Georgia Council for Recovery said Tuesday. “We’re going to pass another bill this year and another bill next year and a bill the year after that, and we’re going to make life better for peers.”
Follow-up measures are expected this session, although some of the proposals are still taking shape. Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, a Decatur Democrat, and Rep. Todd Jones, a South Forsyth Republican, said Tuesday they were working on a bill.
“The work is not completed,” Ralston’s
with local agencies to help the woman find a home so she can permanently reunite with Lilo, Mann said.
About 10% of people experiencing homelessness have a pet, and 1 in 5 of them don’t accept shelter because their pet can’t join them, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless.
Local shelters have varying policies regarding whether residents can stay with their pets.
Pets are not allowed at Maclellan Shelter for Families, a short-term emergency shelter in Chattanooga for families experiencing homelessness, shelter supervisor and administrative assistant Cassie DeMasi said. She is new to the job and does not know the reason for the policy, she said.
Chattanooga Room in the Inn, a temporary shelter in Chattanooga for women and children experiencing homelessness, allows residents to bring most pets, although some are restricted based on breed and size.
“When they’re already going through being homeless, it’s hard for them to be separated from their pet,” administraitive assistant Kenya Ervin said.
Lilo is living at McKamey until her family finds shelter where pets are welcome.
“We will provide all resources necessary to get them set back up for success when Lilo goes home with them,” Mann said.
While Lilo is receiving more attention than most pets surrendered by owners who cannot take care of them, the situation is not uncommon.
“As inflation continues to rise, people are definitely struggling to provide for their families, pets included,” Mann said.
The cost of basic food and monthly vet care for a large-breed dog like Lilo could range from $55-$300 a month, she said.
Lilo came to McKamey as a stray, so the shelter was legally required to take her in, but owners who want or need to surrender their animals must make an appointment and join a waitlist of nearly 400 animals.
“We are encouraging those who are seeking to rehome their pet to try to do so on their own before turning to us,” Mann said, adding that the shelter is over its humane capacity. “We refer all people who are looking to re-home their pet to our website and encourage them to call us for assistance and help navigate their situations. Many times, people are just unaware of the resources we offer.”
She said McKamey provides low-cost weekly vaccine and microchip clinics, low-cost spay and neuter surgeries, and a pet food pantry to residents in its service area comprising the cities of Chattanooga, Red Bank and Lakesite.