| A non-profit group that promotes awareness of mental illness and its effects in Fort Bend County had four supporters speak at a hearing Monday night concerning the Fort Bend County budget.
National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) is led by county resident Larry Davis, who used his three minutes to ask for $30,000 in funding for his group's educational efforts.
Davis said his group currently offers two different classes twice a year, and it would like to increase both the number and types of classes. Mental illness, he said in his commentary, is an illness like any other, and it is treatable.
Davis cited the findings of a study funded by the George Foundation which states 69,000 county residents suffer from mental illness.
"Of course, the social problems such as poverty, drug abuse, spousal abuse, child abuse and others many times are results of mental illness," he said.
Money spent toward mental illness treatment, argued Davis, is made up by savings in police, court and jail costs related to mentally ill offenders.
Also speaking were Davis' wife, Nancy, who read a letter from a woman whose life improved from what are called peer-to-peer classes, as well as Davis' son, Nelson, who said he suffers from bipolar disorder and has benefited greatly from services like those offered by NAMI.
Another woman used her opportunity to speak about mental illness in general.
After the meeting, County Judge Bob Hebert told the group their request will not be funded in the upcoming budget. He suggested they work with Texana, which is a regional organization that coordinates mental health efforts with funding from the county and other sources.
The request could potentially be funded with county dollars disbursed by Texana, he said, rather than the county directly funding NAMI.
Another attendee of the hearing was prepared to speak against the proposed extension of the Grand Parkway through southern Fort Bend County, but Hebert would not allow discussion about items other than the county's budget.
The Grand Parkway Segment C has been proposed by the Texas Department of Transportation as a toll road.
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