A form of help to the chronically homeless, known as “assisted community treatment,” was one of those concepts that is easy enough to understand but hard to accomplish. The idea is to make it easier for them to get the treatment and medication they need, ultimately to help them get off the street and into permanent housing.

Understandable. Yet in years since the assisted community treatment provision was enacted in 2013, only 10 court-mandated treatment plans have been issued. Something is not working. Fortunately, there’s hope that the passage of Senate Bill 1124 will clear the obstacles to progress.

If the governor signs this bill — and he should — the change in the law principally clarifies the process of compelling a mentally ill patient to receive outpatient treatment.

It allows the input of a psychiatrist or advance practice registered nurse with a psychiatric specialization credential, in a courtroom setting. The Family Court could order the homeless patient to receive treatment to avoid relapse that could make them a danger to themselves or others. And as is usually the case, one of the obstacles was a fiscal need. So another measure, Senate Bill 567, appropriates $100,000 to contract for legal assistance for the assisted community treatment petitions.

One part of the homelessness problem lies in providing housing stability, a step toward overcoming his or her illness. But the other requires getting them well enough to accept the offer. That’s where tough love paves the way.