Group: Services lacking for mentally ill, disabled

Transportation, housing and other resources for the mentally ill and disabled in Kane County are sorely lacking, according to a new report by the Leagues of Women Voters.

Organization leaders plan to discuss the findings of their two-year study in a public forum next week in Elgin. The report was released Oct. 10.

Because the number of mentally ill and disabled residents is expected to grow as the county's population increases, serving these groups will become more important, said League of Women Voters member Darlene Bakk, who facilitated the study.

"We're getting to a point where this is critical," Bakk said. "Somebody needs to start addressing this."

The study was undertaken in 2005 by the League of Women Voters of Geneva-St. Charles because many of the organization's board leaders also serve on the boards of agencies that help the disabled and mentally ill. Local advocacy and service organizations also participated in the study group and the state league contributed $500 toward the project.

Unlike neighboring counties, Kane County lacks a centralized mental health care access system, the report states. DuPage and other counties have established a single phone number for residents to call for help.

Fragmented services mean people who need help don't always know where to turn among the myriad social services agencies in the county.

An attempt to create an Internet-based resource for mental health providers --www.KaneCountyGuide.org -- is a disappointment, the report charged. Established last year, the Web site was funded by local chapters of the United Way and the Aurora-based 708 Mental Health Board.

"The study group representatives found this site to be totally unusable," the report states about the Web site. "It was frustrating to navigate and not complete."

Getting to work, school and medical appointments also is difficult for people with disabilities, the report notes. Transit woes are only expected to increase if the "doomsday" cuts planned by Pace and Metra go into effect as planned Sunday.

"Long-term funding continues to be a challenge," the report states. "Much time and effort is spent on securing grants that only last for one year."

The one paratransit bright spot noted in the report is the Ride In Kane program, set to launch in January after a six-month delay. Based on Ride DuPage, a similar service in DuPage County, Ride In Kane is a call center that will provide automated regional public transit information, including scheduling and dispatching for seniors and the disabled.

The report also noted that few housing projects are being initiated to meet the demand for disability housing.

The forum is scheduled at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Elgin Township Building, 729 S. McLean Blvd. Members of the league hope to reach a consensus at the meeting on issues they plan to present to local lawmakers.

If you go

The League of Women Voters of Kane County will hold a forum to discuss its report on community services for the disabled and mentally ill at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Elgin Township building, 729 S. McLean Blvd., Elgin.