J-School Project: Joblessness for Mentally Ill Bronx Residents

This is the third installment in a series of profiles on Stony Brook University journalism students' senior project submissions. They range from Latina teen pregnancies to craft breweries on Long Island. Check back daily for further editions.

Unemployment is an issue that stretches nationwide, but in the Bronx, residents with a mental illness are experiencing the hardship of finding a job. In "A Bronx Crossroads: Where Mental Health Meets Unemployment," Stony Brook University journalism student Jason Van Hoven unveils the daily struggles the mentally ill face as well as those fighting on their behalf.

Daniel Porro, who himself dealt with depression after losing his job with the New York City Housing Authority in 1998, is the co-chair of the Bronx Mental Health Council since 2000. He advocates for the mentally ill and says that they're often the last candidates selected to be interviewed, and that presenting themselves well in the interviews they do set up is another hurdle they must clear.

He also hopes that government officials locally and at the state level needs to cooperate with organizations such as his to give opportunities to those with mental illnesses.

For more on this project, visit Van Hoven's website.