Mental Health Advocacy Services' logo and a banner that reads February 2022 Newsletter. In the background, you can see DTLA and Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights.
Dear MHAS Friend,

As the celebration of Black History month comes to a close, I'd like to honor the legacy and contributions of a mental health hero who helped increase awareness around mental illness.

Bebe Moore Campbell was an author, journalist, teacher, and mental health advocate who made it her mission to bring attention to the mental health needs of Black Americans and other communities of color. Her novel “72 Hour Hold,” a New York Times bestseller in 2006, detailed the epic struggle of mothers and fathers who faced a perilous fight against an unjust mental health system.

Bebe founded the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Inglewood (now known as NAMI Urban LA) in a predominantly Black neighborhood to create a safe space for Black people to talk about mental health concerns. Bebe recognized that existing as a person of color often exacerbates the stigma of mental illness and that racism intensifies the barriers to accessing mental health services.
Bebe passed away in 2006 due to complications with brain cancer. Two years later, the US House of Representatives announced July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.

I am proud to give Bebe Moore Campbell her flowers today (and any day!). Bebe envisioned a world in which all of us—no matter our background—would be able to ask for and receive help without being shamed. Our team here at Mental Health Advocacy Services is proud to work towards this same vision through our provision of holistic and culturally competent legal services year-round.

Sincerely,
REINSTATING SASHA'S SSI BENEFITS
Sasha* receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits due to health complications from an immunodeficiency virus and mental illness. To maintain benefits, Sasha and other SSI recipients may not exceed $2,000 in personal assets. 

Last year, the Social Security Administration terminated Sasha's benefits alleging that her receipt of federal Economic Impact Payments placed her over the $2,000 resource limit. Sasha was told that not only had her benefits been terminated but that she in fact owed $10,000 in alleged overpayment. 

Sasha's health deteriorated. When Sasha's doctor learned that Sasha hadn't received benefits for six months and was now at risk of homelessness, he immediately referred her to the Medical-Legal Community Partnership. 
Sasha was connected to an MHAS attorney who told her that her SSI benefits should never have been terminated and immediately went to work to reinstate them. As a result of MHAS' advocacy, the Social Security Administration reinstated Sasha's benefits, cancelled the $10,000 overpayment charge, and agreed to reimburse Sasha for the six months' worth of benefits that she had been improperly denied. Sasha found out the good news right before the holidays, allowing her to celebrate freely with friends and family - and without the imminent threat of homelessness.

*Client's name has been changed to protect her privacy.
UPCOMING FAIR HOUSING PRESENTATIONS
MHAS offers FREE monthly fair housing trainings for people with mental health disabilities and their families, housing providers, social workers, and the community at-large. In addition to providing an overview of the fair housing rights of people with disabilities, these trainings also help attendees understand the recent updates to local and state COVID-19 protections.

The next fair housing community presentations will be held on:

  • Friday, March 11th at 10:30 am (hosted in English and Korean)
  • Tuesday, April 5th at 12 pm (hosted in English and Spanish)
If you have any questions and/or if you would like to request a reasonable accommodation to facilitate your full participation in the presentation, please contact fairhousing@mhas-la.org.
ADVOCATING FOR EXPANDED COMMUNITY SERVICES TO PREVENT THE INCARCERATION OF PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS
MHAS recently joined a coalition of disability rights organizations to provide recommendations and guidance to the State of California on the decarceration of people with mental illness, including those deemed incompetent to stand trial.

The opening paragraph of the letter is featured below.
"California’s prison system has systematically failed to adequately treat incarcerated people with significant psychiatric disabilities. Despite decades of effort, the State has not managed to provide constitutionally sufficient care to the tens of thousands of people with significant psychiatric disabilities languishing in California prison cells. There is currently a waitlist of approximately 1,700 people deemed incompetent to stand trial (IST) languishing in jails with neither treatment nor due process. People wait many months for treatment, only to be cycled through the criminal legal system. Experts have repeatedly recognized that the incarceration of people with significant psychiatric disabilities does a disservice to both the individuals and the public."
The recommendations include funding expanded access to mental health and other community services to meet the needs of people with mental health disabilities before, during, and after involvement with the criminal legal system.