Group finds gaps in care for disabled

The increase of mentally ill and disabled people in Kane County calls for improvements in providing and funding special services, according to the county's League of Women Voters.

While several agencies deal with these groups, too many people are unable to find housing, jobs, or transportation to the store, said Darlene Bakk, a League of Women Voters member.

"A lot of people go out of county to get services," Bakk said at a forum on the issue Wednesday. "But if there's no housing for them, they've got to go out."

The organization launched a two-year study on services for the mentally ill and disabled in Kane County and met to discuss the findings at the Elgin Township building.

The report found there's a shortage of housing, work or transportation for the mentally ill and disabled, many who are unable to get help from agencies already available in Kane County.

And Kane County also lacks what's available in its neighboring counties, such as a single phone number to access mental-health services, the report shows.

"There's gaps," Bakk said.

League of Women Voters members reached a consensus on a handful of proposals to try to remedy the shortfalls outlined in the study.

Suggestions ranged from the creation of a county public housing agency, consolidating how the mentally ill and disabled access the services, to increased job training and alternatives to a night in jail or the hospital.

The League of Women Voters intends to formalize the ideas from Wednesday's forum and submit a proposal to state and Kane County leaders, Bakk said.