Prior to 2010, the state of Georgia treated many with a developmental disability or mental illness in state psychiatric hospitals. However, a federal lawsuit alleged the state was violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and a 1999 U.S. Supreme Court decision by unlawfully segregating the mentally ill and those with developmental disabilities in the state’s psychiatric hospitals. Under a five year settlement reached with the U.S. Justice Department, at least 9,000 developmentally disabled and mentally ill Georgians are supposed to receive services in community settings. State officials and mental health advocates say a center focusing on mental health recovery in Cartersville is one the successes to come out of the settlement.
A gray house without a sign or outward markings sits on a quiet street near downtown Cartersville.
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