Neighborhood types and community reaction to the mentally ill: a paradox of intensity.

Abstract

Employing data from a statewide study of sheltered-care residents and facilities in California, combined with archival data describing the census tracts in which these facilities are located, the authors analyze the impact of community reaction on sheltered-care residents in different types of neighborhoods. Findings suggest that conservative middle-class communities are most likely to exhibit extreme negative reactions that can have a deleterious impact on the social integration of residents in community care. Liberal, nontraditional neighborhoods conform most closely to the ideal accepting community. In liberal, nontraditional neighborhoods and conservative working-class neighborhoods a moderate level of community reaction actually facilitates the social integration of sheltered-care residents.