Do You Know Someone ... Who is depressed or bipolar? Who is using drugs? Who has been sent to jail? Will your son or daughter end up in jail instead of getting the treatment he/she desperately needs? Mental illness is not a crime! One Mother's Experience: "The system is crazy! My son is schizophrenic. About 10 years ago while he was a student at UC Davis, he began thinking he was the messiah and hearing voices from the beyond ... I begged the court to transfer my son to a hospital instead of just letting him go, telling the judge my son was not competent to go for mental health treatment on his own ..." Read the rest of this story ... The dual crises of mental illness and drug addiction affect our entire community. We need compassionate treatment for our loved ones and comprehensive change in our mental health and criminal justice system. Meet our loved ones, read their stories ... Task Force Seeks Comprehensive Solutions! Families ACT! has convened the Santa Barbara Task Force on Co-Occurring Disorders to address the critical need for effective and compassionate integrated treatment options including residential treatment and medically supervised detox facilities as alternatives to incarceration. Representatives from  the Public Defenders office, Santa Barbara County ADMHS, Cottage Hospital, CADA, community based non-profits providing mental health and substance abuse treatment the various departments in the Criminal Justice System and family, consumer and homeless advocates are participating as stakeholders in this important collaborative effort. Families United to Save Lives Families ACT! came into existence in the aftermath of a tragic cluster of deaths among dually diagnosed young adults in Santa Barbara, California in the winter of 2005-06. We bring together concerned individuals, families, and people struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues for mutual support and empowerment. Families ACT! is dedicated to changing the way people with mental health issues and co-occurring substance use issues are viewed by the public. We are dedicated to expanding dual diagnosis treatment options in our communities and to changing policy at the local, state and national level. Treatment, Not Jail, for the Dually Diagnosed In the last decade, U.S. jails and prisons have become de facto mental institutions as a result of the closing of mental hospitals, the escalating numbers of Americans with emotional and mental disorders, their tendency to self-medicate, the wide availability of drugs and pharmaceuticals, the passage of tough drug  sentencing laws, the dismal failure of the so-called "war on drugs" and the lack of adequate community-based residential detox and treatment centers. People with mental health and co-occurring substance-use disorders cycle in and out of jail and prison, in and out of psychiatric facilities for brief 72-hour "holds," in and out of  court-ordered sober living homes  with no professional staff, where they are traumatized and demoralized, too often ending up homeless or dead. Too many individuals professions, institutions and corporations are living off of their ordeal. We have come together to join hands with people of goodwill to stop this and to find creative ways to ensure public safety by advocating for compassionate and effective prevention and treatment rather than the current ineffective and inhumane punishment-driven approach. We want to see police and judges , probation officers and district attorneys, county, city and service agencies working with us and collaborating to promote wellness rather than mass incarceration! Information, Support Services and More ... Families ACT! offers a variety of support and services for individuals and families including: Referrals to local resources residential treatment centers - Call our Hot-line Help navigating the mental health, social security, substance use and criminal justice systems - Learn more ... Monthly support group meetings (free): 3rd Mondays 7-9 m in the Lovelace Room in the Wright Building behind Phoenix of SB. Call  637-1339 for details Monthly action meetings focused on advocating for change and educating the public Families ACT! Resources and Library - Check it out ... Opportunities to meet with administrators in mental health and criminal justice - Attend our Task Force meetings ... An opportunity to tell your story to people who care