SOAR Success Stories
Homeless Advocacy Project in Philadelphia Celebrates 10 Years of SOAR Success
This December, the Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) in Philadelphia celebrates 10 years of increasing access to Social Security disability benefits using the SOAR model. During this time they have maintained a 98 percent approval rate on almost 2,000 SSI/SSDI applications. Michele Levy, HAP's Managing Attorney, describes the achievement: "HAP has spent the past 10 years striving to expand our SOAR Project to serve as many populations experiencing homelessness as possible—transition age youth, Veterans treated at our VA Medical Center, mental health court defendants, housing-first participants, shelter-resistant men and women on the street and in safe havens, people with severe mental illness working with targeted case management, and others. Our dedicated partners at SSA and the Pennsylvania Department of Disability Determination Services/Pennsylvania Bureau of Disability Determination have supported all of HAP's SOAR efforts and have been a critical component of our success and quality."
An Ohio Army Veteran's Story of Recovery
Leslie Martinez-Peña, an SSI Specialist in Ohio wrote in to share one client's incredible recovery story:
"One of my success stories is about a 48-year-old man who was residing in the VA domiciliary at Wade Park. I was contacted by his case manager Rita, to discuss whether he could be a potential SOAR applicant. Rita was unsure if he was appropriate because she felt he was not actively engaging in services and may not have enough treatment documentation. While going through the various screening questions with Rita, I believed he was appropriate but I needed to make sure before starting any application. I asked Rita to help coordinate meeting with him and she happily obliged with an appointment the same week.
I was not surprised when he called Rita to cancel the appointment. He gave no explanation and Rita tried to reschedule another time with him but he declined. She gave him my phone number and he actually reached out 2 days later. He expressed interest in doing the application but was currently feeling uneasy and overwhelmed. I listened to his flight of ideas and asked him what day and time worked for him. He responded after much thought and I agreed. I met with him in the comfort of the domiciliary and during the time when the library would be available.
When I met with him, he was guarded, nervous, and kept shaking his leg. I remembered asking about his uncontrollable leg because it was almost jumping from the floor as he shook it. He said, "I am really, really uncomfortable where I'm sitting at. My back is to the door and it's killing me." I immediately offered to move tables and he said he just wanted to move to another chair that faced the door. Once he changed seats, he opened up about his PTSD, anxiety, various surgeries to fix a previous shoulder surgery, his descent into misusing pain medication, and lastly his three suicide attempts. This was an especially heavy appointment because he took such pride of being an Army officer at the prime of his career.
The client was awarded SSI and he immediately moved to the suburbs of Cleveland. He reported renting a small house with a backyard, where he often spends his time sitting and thinking. When I asked what else he is planning for the future, he said that he would hopefully get a therapy dog. He was very appreciative of my services and I told him I was appreciative of his service to our country. I wished him the best of luck and happiness especially in his new home."
Thank you for sharing this success story, Leslie! We hope it inspires our SOAR community to keep SOARing!
