That was a rare confluence of the left and the right. The left said they were just expressing themselves and the only sane people in a capitalist system were the crazy. The right didn’t want to pay for hospitalization and thought that “community based mental health care” would be cheaper than hospitals.
First of all, it wasn’t, when you factor in police, medical, the financial impact of murders and violent crimes, etc. Secondly, it has destroyed cities.
Sadly, it was Ronald Reagan, as Governor of California, who deinstitutionalized this population. And he even said that they could work and get jobs as school playground monitors...
I thought he was an excellent president, but as Governor of California he definitely had his weak or oblivious points.
However, that said, the deinstitutionalization push started with the Willowbrook faux documentary done by one Geraldo Rivera in NY. I worked in that field and he totally twisted everything and destroyed the lives of many of the mentally ill and their families.
As I recall, yes, it was under Reagan, as governor of CA, that the deinstitutionalization took place.
What most people don't remember, or choose not to remember, is that it was caused by leftists suing the state to let the mentally ill, druggies and the profoundly mentally disabled, be “free”. It was a disaster and affected my own family in a very real way.