Succinctly written. And gut wrenchingly heartbreaking.

I worked in alternative mental health in California for 19 years. I had to retire early due to health reasons.

The work wore me out. The people, our clients the majority of them - homeless, were turned away from shelters because they were full.

One client who was depressed, schizophrenic, and had a heart condition refused to get out of bed and participate in our program. I sat with him in his room to find out why. He said he was waiting to die. Because we were a crisis residential program (non-profit) that helped place people. but when the placement facilities were at capacity with waiting lists, shelters over flowing they had to be discharged to the streets.. There were not enough of the right kind of placements for him. Clearly a failure in the system (the mental health system and the way of capitalistic autocracy).

A year later I heard that he had died. I was saddened and yet for him and many others like him - the suffering was over.