HT & HG Success Story – June 2016

The outreach worker first encountered HT and HG sitting on top of the hill in Duncan Plaza, where they would sleep each night. HT and HG are best friends. HT is a person with a disability; he has only one eye. HG has severe depression and addiction to alcohol. They have both been homeless for two years.

Although they had been going to the CRCC for two years to take showers and do laundry, they had never seen a caseworker. HT and HG finally decided to see a crisis worker at Traverler’s Aid Society. Both HT and HG were interested in rehab so the outreach worker applied them to Odyssey House and Bridge House for drug treatment. Then each client had an appointment with a crisis caseworker and HT’s case worker helped him schedule an appointment at Central City Behavioral Health and collect documentation for his housing application. At his mental health appointment., he met a Resources for Human Development caseworker. The RHD caseworker referred HT to Principle Living group home. HT will be able to stay in the group home until he completes the permanent housing process.

HG’s crisis caseworker helped him apply for food stamps and other benefits. HG continued his drinking which included bottles of vanilla extract. One day his depression reached the point of suicidality. He asked the outreach worker to take him to the hospital for psychiatric treatment. Even though he was suicidal, the hospital released him after only a couple of hours. The outreach worker tried again to get him admitted to the same hospital, and on the second attempt, HG was admitted for substance abuse detox and mental health rehabilitation.

HT is currently living in a group home, and HG is receiving psychiatric care and substance abuse treatment in an inpatient setting. Their friendly and care for one another while struggling with poverty, substance abuse, and mental illness is moving.