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Chapter 3: Homeless Population and Current Service Capacity <br />Mentally disabled - <br />Forty-two percent of respondents to the 1994 ESN survey described themselves as - <br />mentally disabled. The Alameda County Department of Mental Health Services <br />Community Crisis Response Team, which responds to mental health crisis in Alameda <br />County, estimates that one-fourth to one-third of all the clients it sees are homeless. _. <br />The Robertson survey found that only about 22 percent of respondents had a current <br />"major mental disorder" diagnosis. The discrepancy between the ESN and Robertson <br />findings may indicate the difference between the moderately mentally ill and the - <br />severely mentally ill, who need more treatment resources. Using a range of 22-42 <br />percent, 2,640-5,040 homeless people may be mentally disabled at any one time in <br />Alameda County. _ <br />Dual Diagnoses- <br />Many providers in Alameda County have found that a large percentage of the Alameda <br />County homeless population is "dually diagnosed" with a mental disability and an AOD _ <br />problem. The City of Berkeley estimates that 40% of the homeless people are dual <br />diagnosed. According to the Department of. Mental Health Services, at least 60 percent <br />of their severely mentally ill clients also have an AOD problem. However, -~ <br />Robertson's 1994 Alcohol Research Group report found that only about 19 percent of <br />homeless adults were dually diagnosed using the relatively strict criteria of a major <br />mental disorder and substance use disorder. Again, the discrepancy among numbers - <br />may indicate the moderately and severely disabled. Using a range of 19-40 percent, <br />2,280-4,800 people with a dual diagnosis may be homeless at any one time in Alameda <br />County. - <br />HIV/AIDS- <br />Estimating the numbers of homeless people with HIV or AIDS is very difficult, since <br />many people are unaware of or prefer not to reveal their HIV status. The National <br />Commission on AIDS estimate that the rate of HIV infection among homeless people is _ <br />between 15 and 25 percent. Based on these figures, 1,800 to 3,000 homeless people <br />may be HIV positive or have AIDS at any given time in the county. _ <br />A 1995 housing survey of more than 600 people living with HIV and AIDS found that <br />10% were currently homeless and 43% of respondents had been homeless since the __ <br />time of their diagnoses. <br />Alameda County-Wide Homeless Continuum of Care Plan: April 1997 -- <br />20 <br />