Recent actions including Department of Justice anti-Olmstead opinion demand response: sign & share the petition

Now is the time to stand up and speak out! The Trump administration's attacks on everyday Americans' freedoms must stop! People with disabilities - including those of us with mental health conditions - deserve the right to live freely in our communities, not forced into institutions!

The People Organized for Wellness, Empowerment and Recovery (POWER) Coalition, a national network led by people with lived experience of mental health and addiction conditions, is asking you to join the over 1500 individuals who have already endorsed the petition and said enough is enough!

Just Say No to Long Term Institutional Care and Trump’s Mental Health & Addictions Attacks Including

• Releasing a DOJ opinion memo to reverse the Olmstead Supreme Court decision and turn back the clock on disability integration and civil rights focusing on locking people with people with mental health conditions in long-term institutions against their will.
  -Studies show that people live longer, healthier and fuller lives in their communities with support from their families and friends. 
• Issuing Executive Order 14321 to make it easier to institutionalize people with mental health and substance use conditions by expanding involuntary treatment.
  -Research has demonstrated that voluntary approaches such as peer support and other recovery support services - like housing and employment - produce far better outcomes.
• Calling for the elimination of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), firing one-half of its staff, and, in its most recent budget request, requesting over a half a billion dollars in cuts for  for community-based mental health and addiction care while ending support for proven, science-based strategies such as housing-first and harm reduction approaches.
  -Rather than retreating on Federal scientific-based leadership, we need a strong SAMHSA that can assist states and communities with proven solutions.
• Eliminating support for underserved communities including people of color and 2SLGBTQIA+ populations such as trying to end the 988 “Press 3” function for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals in crisis including suicidal ideation, ending gender affirming care, and attempting to rewrite history of the harm and violence perpetrated against Black and Brown populations and other people of color, while elminating DEIA initives and grants aimed at supporting people of color.
  -Studies show that almost 50% of all Black queer youth consider ending their own life  often due to the discrimination and violence they face.
• Cutting Medicaid, food stamps and other safety net programs that are disproportionately impacting people with behavioral health conditions.
  -With these budget cuts, millions of Americans are losing access to food, and other life saving forms of care.
• Increasing V.A. 's abilities to strip veteran autonomy by expanding guardianship and conservatorship arrangements while requiring HUD grantees to promote involuntary treatment and end housing first approaches.
  -Veterans serve our country and in return this administration wants to take away the very freedom they fought for.
• Expanding funding of involuntary outpatient treatment (aka “Assisted Outpatient Treatment”) grants and issuing a new $24 million program targeting unhoused people with mental health and addiction problems and forcing them into care.
  -This furthers traumatizing criminalization and carceral approaches.

Act Now in Defense of Our Freedoms

“As America celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence, the very freedom and liberties it was founded on are at stake.” stated POWER Coalition Co-Chair and former Federal official Paolo del Vecchio,  “Please sign and lend your voice as we deliver this petition to the U.S. Congress to counter this administration’s actions and loudly say NO to a return to long-term institutional care.”

Signers are also encouraged to share the petition with their Congressional representatives which can be found  here. 

Trump’s efforts are already being felt across the U.S. as over one-half of the states have expanded involuntary treatment standards with the rate of involuntary commitment growing at three times the rate of population growth and, for the first time in over 70 years, states are building new state psychiatric hospitals.  These actions are occuring in stark contrast to the fact that the public, in both blue and red households, strongly supports community-based care (including peer support) while far fewer supported involuntary approaches.

“We recover in communities, not in institutions,” said POWER Coalition Co-Chair and Youth MOVE National Executive Director Arc Telos Saint Amour, “Join with us to protect our autonomy and our right to a life in the community.”

Find out more about the POWER Coalition at our website: supportrecovery.us