Miami-dade commissioners criticized for delaying mental health facility

Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski has lambasted the Miami-Dade County commissioners for their prolonged inaction on a long-promised Mental Health facility.

Commissioners delay vote on miami mental health center

Wenski, speaking on CBS Miami's Facing South Florida, accused the commissioners of 'warehousing' mentally ill individuals in county jails instead of providing appropriate treatment at the unopened Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery.

The seven-story facility, designed to divert people with mental illnesses from jail, has been vacant for over a year despite $50 million in renovations funded by the 2004 Building Better Communities bond program.

Nonprofit organizations were selected to operate the center two years ago, with the first two years' funding already secured. However, the project has yet to receive final approval from the commission.

Commission Chairman Anthony Rodriguez has repeatedly deferred placing the item on the full agenda, while some commissioners have raised concerns about long-term funding and competing proposals.

Wenski argues the delay is not only inefficient but inhumane, as individuals with Mental Health issues often cycle through the criminal justice system without proper treatment.

'It will save lives because this will allow people to get the treatment that they really need, treatment that can help stabilize them,' Wenski stated.