Many of us on The Task Force have family members living with mental illness. As parents, siblings, aunts, uncles and friends, we share our loved ones dreams of living independently in a safe community and close to friends, family, employment and schooling opportunities. We are you neighbors living in Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Palatine, Wheeling and close north and northwest suburban areas. We wish to share with you the facts and research surrounding why permanent supportive housing makes sense and why this project in particular will benefit the community. From time to time, The Task Force members come across some articles in the news or become aware of current research on individuals living with serious mental illness. We have created this page to help educate and inform about this and the need for permanent supportive housing.

How will having affordable supportive housing nearby effect housing  property  values?

The answer is that dozens of US and Canadian studies show that supportive and affordable housing does not lower local property values. In some cases, property values go up!  See  Homecoming Community Choice Coalition

What is “serious mental illness” anyway? What will these neighbors look and act like and what about their families?

Actor Glenn Close has taken on the task of educating the public about living with serious mental illness. Ms. Close has a sister living with Bipolar Disorder and a nephew living with Schizophrenia. We think her campaign, Bring Change 2 Mind, really addresses some of the common misconceptions about mental illness.

There is a perception that individuals living with mental illness are violent. Why do we have this perception and what are the facts?

SAMHSA's Resource Center, lists several studies which explored the prevalence of violence in the population of individuals living with mental illness along with a little background information on why the public has this perception. It can be found here: Violence and Mental Illness: The Facts