Ana, one of our Outreach Case Managers, shared this story:
Outreach met John in November 2023 at Oak Park Church. When we met him he told us of all his health issues and wanting to get off the streets. We were able to get him an outreach bed at VOH, however his needs were too high and he ended up back on the streets.
We ran into him again at Oak Park in December and he wanted to get in to detox, but unfortunately did not make it to his appointment.
It wasn't until months later that he was ready to engage.
One of the first things we worked on was reconnecting him with family. His sister was able to come from Washington and take him out to eat, and they are still talking today. This was a huge part in his willingness to move forward.
With the help of Northwest Human Services’ Homelessness Outreach and Advocacy Project (HOAP) and Northwest Senior and Disability Services (NWSDS), we were able to connect him with a provider to prioritize his health, social security disability, and begin to look for placement.
While we were waiting for NWSDS to find him somewhere to move into, John ended up being admitted at Salem Hospital. Salem Hospital worked with NWSDS and moved him into a nursing home upon his discharge. He is excited to finally be out of the hospital and have a place to call home.
Patience, building rapport, and showing up where our clients are is such a vital role in outreach. We are happy we continued showing up for John, because when he was ready, we were on it!
Thank you to community partners, Paul, and the entire Outreach Team for supporting me with John!