Sharing Our Successes
Florida
Cindy Swartz from the Jail Diversion Program (JDP) at the Eleventh Judicial Criminal Mental Health Project shared two success stories of clients Jenny* and Arnold*:
Jenny
"You guys kept believing in me even when I didn't believe in myself." Jenny was homeless, uninsured, and not receiving proper medical or psychiatric care when she was referred to JDP in March 2015. She received treatment from several agencies in Miami and was also successfully assisted with an application for SSA benefits from the SOAR Entitlement Unit. Jenny is very grateful for the help she received, and in August 2016 her court case was dismissed. She returned home to Texas to reunite with her family. Jenny gave birth to a beautiful baby girl in November 2016. Today, she remains stable, sober, healthy, and happy to embark on the journey of motherhood with the support of her family.
Arnold
Upon enrollment in JDP in 2015, Arnold reported a long history of homelessness—living on the streets, homeless shelters, and eventually in prison. He described psychiatric symptoms that went untreated for decades. "If it wasn't for JDP taking a chance on me, I would not be here; I would still be in that cell. JDP inspires and motives me, they have shown me that I am not just a number in the system, I am somebody."
Through the combined effort of Jackson's Psychosocial Rehabilitation Program (PSR), Trauma Resolution Center (TRC), Camillus House, and the SOAR team, Arnold successfully completed JDP in 2016 and his cases were dismissed. Today, Arnold receives outpatient services, works as a prep-cook/dishwasher, and lives independently. "This is my first job in my whole entire life and I have signed my first lease. All of this wouldn't be possible without JDP. Sometimes, a lot of times, I have to pinch myself. I do not want to give anyone the idea that the battle is over; this battle continues, it is every day."
New York
New York will be holding a state-specific Leadership Academy, September 12-14, 2017 in Albany, New York. The New York State Leadership Academy is being sponsored by the
Office of Temporary Disability Assistance and will be a great opportunity to develop local SOAR leadership throughout the state!
Texas
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Through Suzie's leadership and Integral Care's commitment to SOAR, we are seeing a new level of excitement and interest in SOAR. Most importantly, however, this is translating into tangible benefits for the individuals being served. To date, the Integral Care dedicated SOAR specialists have helped 55 individuals apply for benefits using the SOAR process. This has resulted in 36 approvals and there are 14 additional applications pending a decision." Congratulations Suzie and be sure to read
the full article!
Suzie also shared some shout-outs to members of her team:
"I would [like to] give a huge congratulations to
Integral Care's Social Work interns,
Josh Kivlovitz and
Brelynn Thomas, through the University of Texas at Austin Social Work—they each completed their internships and each had two SOAR approvals!
Also, we would like to thank
Tess Bernhard, an AmeriCorps member working for
Trinity Center in Austin, who just got word of her first SOAR approval. She has done some amazing work with individuals experiencing homelessness in Austin, and we will miss her as she ends her AmeriCorps service with us!"
*Name changed to protect client anonymity.
Do you have a success story you'd like to share with the SOAR community? E‐mail it to
soar@prainc.com!