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Griff, I'm in agreement with you for the most part.
When the movement for de-institutionalizationi was beginning,
I was completely on-board... as were most of the families of the patients.
When Reagan became Governor in Calif, and was a good spokesman for the need
to do something about the care of the mentally ill and the developmentally disabled
(at that time called mentally retarded)
The disaster came because Reagan sold the policy based on promises
to continue the State $ in the form of "community service",
such as Group Homes, increased numbers of Case Workers, and health care and meds, etc.
But then once the institutions were emptied, he dried up or never even made available as promised.
His budgets for community care of these people shriveled.
When he became President, he followed the same path with Federal funds.
So we have what we have... high rates of mental illness among the homeless,
and the abuse of the homeless is out of sight, except to law enforcement,
and Case Workers with impossible case loads.
A thousand points of (flickering and dim or dark) lights.
Reagan is portrayed as a hero by the Republicans, but it's a superficial and mythical image.
Ummm...., but then the military did get it's 600-ship Navy.
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