Grants Pass, Ore. — A Grants Pass man, Kevin Bennett, said he’ll never stop trying to help his son. Even when it seems they’re out of options.
“Justin needs professional help,” Kevin said. “My wife and I have done everything we can in our powers and his disability is beyond what we can help him with.”
His son, Justin Bennett, is 28-years-old. A car accident years ago left him with a traumatic brain injury to his frontal lobe. Now, he has problems controlling his anger.
Justin lives on the streets. Kevin believes that anger disability and a criminal conviction for assault have prevented Justin from being placed in an adult foster home.
“I know my son is out in the rain, out in the cold, my son has been sleeping in porta potties,” he said. “That’s just unacceptable.”
Kevin lives near Grants Pass himself, but said he and his wife can’t take Justin in because of his anger disability. Justin spent a few nights at the Gospel Rescue Mission, but had to leave after he had an angry outburst.
Men’s Coordinator at the mission, Brian Bouteller, said sometimes it’s hard to point people with a disability like Justin in the right direction.
“In the community the size of Grants Pass we really don’t have all of the services a larger community like Salem, Eugene, and Portland might have,” he said.
According to Kevin, another local organization that provides programs for people with mental illnesses turned Justin down, and said his condition is a physical disability.
“As his father I’m very discouraged in Josephine County as a whole because they should have more resources,” he said.
Now Community Living Case Management is looking outside the county, as the two pray they can find a safe place for Justin.
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