|
|
 |
|
 |
MY HEAD START EXPERIENCE
AJFC COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY, INC
Adams County
A client came into the office seeking emergency assistance in December 2009. She is a single parent with one child. She had recently lost her job due to layoffs. She filed for unemployment benefits but at the time of the request she had no income. She was unable to pay her rent or her utilities.
After the initial assessment, the client was entered into case management and a case plan was completed to fit the client’s needs. Each month the client was responsible for: looking for employment and returning the self declaration form biweekly until work was found, registering with the WIN Job Center and updating file there monthly, and to accept any recommendations and referrals made by the worker to achieve self sufficiency and self reliance.
Each month the worker was responsible for assisting the client in maintaining adequate housing by offering case management services, income management services, referrals and recommendations for needed services and LIHEAP and/or CSBG services to assist the client to achieve self sufficiency. Referrals were made to Department of Human Services, the WIN Job Center, low income apartments, and places for possible employment.
In January 2010 the client was called for an apartment. This apartment had income based rent. She was approved for the apartment and was able to move in with zero rent. She continued to look for employment and stayed incompliance with the case plan for assistance. Monthly updates were completed and assistance was provided based on the clients need.
In March 2010 the client started working at a hospital as a clerk. She started with full time hours and the rate of pay was $8.73. The client income changed from $0 a month to $1396 a month. She continued to live in the low income apartment and rent was adjusted to her income. The last update was completed in June 2010. The client has been able to maintain adequate housing (paying rent and utilities) on her own without any assistance from the agency. She is now self reliant.
Angela C. Short
AJFC Community Action Agency, Inc.
CSBG/LIHEAP Case Manager Supervisor
MY SUCCESS STORY
Family Resource Worker: Vanessa Paterson
Gloster Head Start
Success is defined as the favorable outcome of something attempted, an action, performance, etc. That is characterized by success. The AJFC Community Action Agency is a professional organization that provides advocacy for the needs of preschool children, focusing primarily on children of disadvantaged families. Dealing with children and their families that are mostly low income you will encounter many needs that are needed to be dealt with to help the children and their families maintain a certain quality of life. Here at Gloster Head Start we have had many success stories where children were assessed and received services for speech, behavior and mental health issues. These children were able to get therapy and even medicine that helped them speak clearer, learn and behave better when they transition to Elementary school.
One success story I want to tell is when a returnee child and her family became homeless right before school was due to start in August 2010. The Mom was working in Louisiana full time at night and due to some financial troubles when her hours were reduced she got behind on her rent and was evicted. The mother had three children and was pregnant. The mother and her three children were sleeping inside of the car for a few days until a family member let them stay with them for a little while. When August 30, 2010 came and the little girl did not come to school for the first day the Family Resource Worker immediately inquired and could not get in contact with the mother so she did a home visit and realized the residence on file was empty. The Family Resource Worker visited family members until she found the family.
The Family Resource Worker had a long conversation with the Mother and discuss what the family needs were. Her two older teenage girls have not attended school yet and school started for them August 5, 2010. The Mother oldest daughter is overweight has outgrown all her school clothes and other clothes. The second oldest daughter has grown in height and outgrew her school clothes. The Head Start little girl also out grew her clothes as she is overweight also. The Family Resource Worker and the Mom together had assessed what were all of her needs and ranking them in order. So the first important need was getting adequate school clothes for all three girls and school supplies. The next was to get the children back enrolled in school and then the third was to help the family afford adequate affordable housing as soon as possible because her staying with her cousins was temporarily.
The Family Resource Worker started immediately contacting different resources like Save the Children, The AJFC Parent Involvement Specialist, Families first, Southwest Mississippi Opportunity, Parent Center in Liberty Elementary, etc. The Family Resource Worker
Worked with many resources and got people, co-workers and organization to donate school uniforms, regular girl and women clothes for the family. By the time donations started rolling in the mom had received 4 garbage bags of clothing and 3 big boxes of food for the family to eat from Pilgrim Baptist Church. The Mother was very appreciative and thankful.
When the children received the clothes and school supplies all the children were immediately enrolled in school and were adjusting well. The next thing we had to work together on was finding the family adequate housing. Together the Family Resource Worker and the mother worked together and less than two months she found an affordable trailer to rent in her price range. During the more than two months of being homeless the family were going through switching from family member to family member and the family was staying stressed out. The Family Resource Worker made herself available given out her personal cell number so the mother could talk about her frustrations and whatever else she wanted to discuss. It took three more weeks to get the trailer old water bill paid so she could have running water in her name. The Family Resource tried the Southwest Mississippi Opportunity center but they were low on funds so we worked out a deal with the renter and he agreed to pay half of the old bill and she pay the other half and finally she was able to move in.
This family was stressed during this rough time and was so glad to be in their own home again. The children returned to school and are doing very good with their school work. The Mother went on maternity leave and had a 6 pound 8oz. baby boy two months later and the family is doing better and enjoying a better quality of life now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
