Joel’s Law petitions are rising — but are they helping?

Joel’s Law petitions are rising — but are they helping?

Tatiana Leone never leaves her Bremerton apartment without a reusable grocery bag filled with documents detailing her son’s history of mental illness. She doesn’t know when she will run into her son, who lives unhoused in Seattle, and she wants to be prepared if he’s in a crisis. She’s used the pile of documents — including records of his behavioral health history, jail stints and hospital stays — once before. In 2020, she successfully asked a P…