This Week God Brought Us... Janelle

This week God brought us... ”Janelle”, thanks to the good work of one of our care coordinator staff. A colleague alerted her to Janelle, who was in the hospital after living in deplorable conditions in a unit with no water. She had recently lost her mother and was struggling to cope. At the hospital she thought she would be treated for a small infection in her foot which she had not been able to care for properly since she had no water.  Instead she was told that the wound had gone septic and that she would lose part of her leg. She had surgery and went to recover in an adult family home. There she experienced abuse. Adult Protective Services responded and placed her into a new home.  When our staffer received this referral she asked Janelle what her goals were. Janelle just wanted some agency and independence for herself so she could try to get back to normal and bring her kids home. Our staffer enrolled Janelle in CBRA (Community Behavioral Health Rental Assistance, which provides long-term rent assistance for high-risk individuals with behavioral health conditions), and also lined her up with mental health support, got her into her own housing, and is arranging for a caregiver and for transportation to appointments. We learned of all of this when this staffer came to the main offices to supply Janelle with dishes, toilet paper, and other household and hygiene items. Janelle had received the keys to her new home that day and her daughter was coming to join her. She is now adjusting to life as an amputee in a wheelchair.  We’re grateful for our CCEW staff person for going the extra mile to help Janelle reclaim her dignity and restore her relationships.