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| A homeless man in Manhattan. If a person with mental illness doesn’t present an “immediate danger to self or others,” he or she cannot be involuntarily committed. |
On Sunday, The Times published a heartbreaking story about a standout student at Williams College who later developed mental problems and ended up homeless, a fixture on a grate at 46th Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan.
The woman, Nakesha Williams, died in 2016 at age 46 after turning down many offers of help over the years and despite extraordinary efforts made by outreach workers and friends.
Many readers wondered: What can be done for someone like Ms. Williams, who is plainly mentally disabled but rejects help?
We asked Sam Tsemberis, founder of Pathways to Housing, a nonprofit that helps homeless people secure housing and supports for daily living. Mr. Tsemberis previously worked for Project Help, Mayor Edward I. Koch’s involuntary commitment program for homeless people with mental illness.
Our conversation has been edited and condensed.
Why can’t someone like Ms. Williams, who seemed clearly to have a delusional illness, be involuntarily committed?
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