Imagine if you can, suffering a mental illness and not being able to obtain help. Imagine a bit further the added burden of being homeless.
This is the reality of many due to the gaps in available resources for those considered untreatable by conventional methods. Many homeless individuals lack access to mental health treatment due to a combination of factors: limited access to healthcare services, lack of insurance, difficulty navigating the healthcare system, the stigma associated with mental illness, chaotic lifestyles, lack of stable housing, all of which can make it challenging to consistently attend appointments and follow treatment plans, which can further exacerbate their mental health issues. Dr. Amanda Goldman specializes in schizophrenia through language. Typical symptoms in those with schizophrenia mainly include so-called “poverty of speech,” reduced word and sentence production, impaired processing of complex syntax, pragmatic language deficits as well as reduced semantic verbal fluency, and has studied schizophrenia for 40+ years. She worked in State Mental Facilities. By the time she achieved her doctorate in 2012, the State no longer used psychologists, and many of the clientele had been turned out to the streets, with the mistaken idea that society would just absorb them. Instead, many were now part of the homeless populace. In 2017, Dr. Goldman founded the nonprofit Judah Robinson Foundation (JRF) to help answer the need for counseling among the homeless and aid in filling the gap in available resources. She named JRF in honor of her late brother Judah Robinson Aller, who never had a chance to speak or express himself, having passed two hours after his birth. This became the mission of JRF, which was incorporated in 2018, to give voice to individuals who may struggle to express their experiences or to be understood, and to provide homeless mental health intervention through counseling and guidance. Our homeless Mental Health Intervention Project offers individual counseling in multiple settings including emergency shelters, residential facilities, and at our Lounge drop-in and warming center. No one who is homeless with an existing chronic mental health or presentation of one (not pre-diagnosed) is turned away, regardless of the lack of insurance or the ability to pay. We currently treat 101 individuals at this time, but there are so many more to be reached. As a nonprofit we are reliant on volunteers and donations. With your help we can achieve many more success stories. If you would like to help you can contact us at (331) 278-7526 or email us at judahrobinsonfoundation@gmail.com. Dr. Goldman is internationally recognized for her work with schizophrenia, and has over 25 years’ experience as a counselor.
