AUGUSTA, Maine — The National Alliance on Mental Illness is partnering with the Augusta Housing Authority to offer training to landlords and tenants to prevent crises that might result in someone with mental illness becoming homeless.
The goal of the two sessions is to give landlords and tenants the ability to better recognize and understand people with mental illness before a mental health issue escalates into a crisis that could lead to eviction.
The first session is Tuesday. The second is Oct. 21.
Jenna Mehnert, executive director of NAMI Maine, tells the Kennebec Journal that landlords often don't understand mental illness.
Alicia Hafford, a peer counselor, says there is a misconception that people with mental illness are violent, and landlords are reluctant to take them on as tenants.