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LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — About 60 people from the legal system, law enforcement and social service agencies in Lafayette who deal with the mentally ill are trying to come up with better ways to address challenges posed by those who suffer from mental illness.
As is the case in much of the country, government-funded psychiatric care has fallen over the decades in Lafayette, often leaving the mentally ill and their families on their own except for community-based groups that try to fill the gaps.
Holly Howat, executive director of the Lafayette Parish Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, tells The Advocate (http://bit.ly/1NOBUEi) their goals include building a network of a cross section of agencies that work with the homeless, finding affordable housing to keep the mentally ill off the streets and out of jail and providing better training for police officers.
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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com
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