Everyone’s Neighborhood: Addressing “Not in My Backyard” Opposition to Supportive Housing for People with Mental Health Disabilities
Chapter 1: Introduction
Organizations that provide housing and supportive services to people with mental health disabilities have their work cut out for them. It is enough of a challenge to identify housing sites, obtain necessary funding, arrange for services, navigate complex administrative systems and secure scarce funding sources if neighbors and local government support the project. But the process becomes much more difficult when neighbors start complaining about housing “those people” in “our” neighborhood. This paper discusses efforts that housing developers, advocates and local governments have made to promote supportive housing for people with mental health disabilities, suggests strategies for bolstering community support, and provides tools for addressing neighborhood opposition if it does arise. “Not In My Backyard” – or NIMBY1 – opposition to affordable and supportive housing “has deep roots in fear, racism, classism, ableism, and growing antidevelopment reactions. ....