Navigate Toward Housing

“Nameless,” “helpless,” “indigent,” are ways people sometimes describe a person who is lying on a doorstop, trying to protect themselves from bitter cold wind gusts or from the scorching sun and high humidity. Do you ever wonder about their story? How did they get to where they are today?

Sometimes clients come through our shelter doors with just the clothes on their back; without identification, and without any family they can rely on. Sometimes clients have major health concerns and are dependent on alcohol or other substances, and it is due to this dependency that they have burned many bridges and are alone.

One night Jack* came through ImmaCare’s doors. It was challenging for his Housing Navigator to build a rapport because due to his drinking, he would either often miss appointments, or he would show up so intoxicated that nothing would be accomplished. The Housing Navigator was discouraged and needed to figure out an alternative plan.

ImmaCare provides Harm Reduction services to people with substance use disorder which means our case managers meet clients “where they are” in their journey to treatment. As such, the Housing Navigator worked with Jack to identify the best time of day to meet before he started drinking, and they began scheduling his appointments earlier in the morning. This allowed Jack to be clear-minded and present during appointments, and they began making real progress.

The Housing Navigator encouraged Jack to reconnect with his daughters and to take small steps toward cutting back on his drinking. Since shifting the appointments to earlier in the morning, Jack not only attended most of his appointments but was also able to obtain his birth certificate and Social Security Card, both of which are typically required by landlords to secure housing. Although Jack has major health issues and an obvious substance use disorder, prior to coming to ImmaCare, he was not connected to any providers who could complete his disability verification. After some months, Jack’s Housing Navigator connected him to a provider to get his disability verification and he was soon after matched to a housing program.

ImmaCare’s “emergency shelter” has rebranded to a Housing Navigation Center; “shelter case managers” are now Housing Navigators; and “shelter frontline staff” are now Housing Support Counselors. The purpose of this rebranding is to ensure there is a focus on housing in everything we do. We are not just providing a bed, a meal, and overnight shelter to people; we are actively providing housing navigation services and expect our clients to be actively seeking permanent housing and working toward ending their homelessness.  

Jack is a perfect example of how ImmaCare fulfills its mission. He’s come full circle with our agency, and we are excited to see what the future holds for him. We cheer him as he paves the path for what success means to him, as we do for all our clients. Your donation in support of Jack and all our clients allows ImmaCare to continue our work of providing services to individuals experiencing homelessness.

Please give what you can to help us continue our mission.

Sincerely,

Lou Gilbert
Executive Director