A few weeks ago we asked our Case Managers to share how their clients were during, given the additional barriers and stress brought on by Covid-19. We are so proud of the great work our Case Managers have done in ensuring clients continue to move forward, and of the accomplishments our clients have made, despite Covid-19. Below are some short examples of what they shared:
“I had my first advocacy meeting with AT who came to the shelter last week. During our session she expressed that she was in other shelters before but that she has never been treated like we treat clients and that we are really nice people!”
“Last week, an aftercare client that was considered a high lethality case reached out to us to say thank you. This particular client had been discharged from the program a few months ago and entered the Resiliency Program at DASH and has been doing well since transitioning into her new home. It’s really wonderful to hear from clients that have successfully moved on and are updating the team of their ongoing success. It definitely makes the work that we do worth it!”
“Last week I had two clients successfully transition to Rapid Rehousing*. One leased up in place (in the apartment that was previously fully funded by MSP) and another to a new home. In exchange, I’ve had two more clients enter the RISE program (MSP Transitional Housing Program). I assisted one with her move-in this past weekend. I’m working on transitioning a few more of my families to RRH* as well.”
*Rapid Rehousing (RRH) is a program where the tenant/client pays an increasing share of the rent while city/program subsidies for rent support decrease.
“One of my clients recently shared that she was struggling with substance abuse and shared plans to go into treatment. The client telephoned me last week. She provided an update on successfully following through with the treatment plan. What I consider to be the successful part of the story is that the client recognized she had a problem beyond her control. She did not wait until her situation spiraled totally out of control. I commended her for no longer suffering in silence. She is utilizing the resources that we provided. She is learning about the disease of addiction, developing and identifying coping mechanisms to help her maintain sobriety.”
“A few weeks ago my client stated that she needed help on the math section of her GED test. I looked up YouTube videos and learned a bit to help her some. She let me know last week that she passed her test. She was very proud of herself and very thankful for the extra resources that I sent her.”
“I am working with a client that was formerly in the RISE Program and doing well for herself. She started her own business and was on track to self-sufficiency, but recently fell upon hard times. Her equipment for her business was stolen, she experienced multiple instances of extreme violence at her complex, including being held up at gunpoint, and lost a loved one over the holiday. She has been scraping by and living in a hotel. She was looking to transfer within her complex to something safer for her family but was struggling with the stress of landlord engagement. We stepped in and began working with the landlord on her behalf. In the last week we have arranged for her to view other units and hope to move her into a new unit supported by RISE so that she may begin her journey again.”
“On Friday a client who had a couple of particularly rough months let me know that she was going to therapy regularly and it is going well. She just finished the first certificate in a 2 certificate program that I helped her identify and get into, that will lead to guaranteed employment at completion. MSP’s Fresh Start Fund also helped her pay to get recertified as an EMT and she’s been working hard on that. She’ll be finished with the course work for that on March 10th!”