“I didn’t know where to start, and ShelterCare helped me with everything,” says George, a ShelterCare program participant. George explains how he ended up living on the streets, “it happened because I was diagnosed with schizophrenia, but there was an issue with my prescription and they stopped prescribing it to me. I need medication to balance my thoughts. I didn’t have my medicine for three months and I became homeless because I couldn’t make sense out of money anymore.”
After this experience, George was unhoused for six years before finding himself in the Oregon State Hospital, “I was very anxious to get out of the hospital, but it was better than being on the streets. I was there for three months.”
George talks about how he felt during this time, “I felt hopeless and I didn’t have any help coming from anywhere.” Until he qualified for ShelterCare’s Birch program, “they came up and interviewed me and selected me as someone who could be in the Birch program,” he says, “I was in the Birch program for two years, and I lived in three Birch houses. Each is a step toward independence and permanent supported housing.”
ShelterCare’s Birch program provides transitional shelter, intensive case management, and peer support to those with a pending court case and who are deemed unable to advocate for themselves in court due to a mental illness. ShelterCare has three group homes where individuals live, while receiving services, until they are deemed able to aid and assist with their own legal defense. At that point, program participants graduate into a six-month step-down program to help them transition into their own stable housing in the community.
In George’s case, he transitioned into ShelterCare’s Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) program, as continued support is a big help to his stability. His Housing Specialist, Alex, reflects on the progress he’s seen George make since his start in PSH, “I was just telling George yesterday when we were walking out of the doctor’s office, that a year ago, he was using a walker and having a pancreatitis flare-up – he’s been able to deal with these physical health problems over the last year. He was sprinting out of the hospital yesterday!”
George was living in survival mode on the street, which made it difficult to deal with mental and physical health needs like these, “I felt like I couldn’t have the equipment I might need, sleeping bags, camping equipment, stuff like that, I just didn’t feel like it was safe for me to have, so I was living bare bones. I didn’t have much at all, just what I was wearing and a blanket,” says George.
PSH provides low or no-barrier housing for individuals who have been chronically homeless and are medically fragile or are living with a mental illness. Participants are paired with a housing specialist who helps residents connect to resources and have access to peer support specialists who teach needed daily living skills.
“I live in my own apartment now! I’ve been there successfully for a year,” says George, “I think that is because I became well-adjusted to normal living in the Birch program. They provided the environment that allowed me to mentally get a hold of myself.”
George’s goal moving forward is to continue making progress on his mental health and a big part of that is the work he is doing with ShelterCare’s Behavioral Health program, “I go to art group so I can learn how to communicate with people again…it’s a tight-knit group where we do art and journaling, which is important to me now because, by keeping a journal, I can look back and see my thoughts and feelings and how I’m improving. I need to communicate and I want to communicate – I need people, I realize.”
ShelterCare’s Behavioral Health program provides mental health treatment to individuals diagnosed with a mental health condition. Conditions include trauma and anxiety disorders, which often are related to the trauma and stress of homelessness. Current services include individual and group therapy, skills training, case management, and telehealth.
ShelterCare’s art therapy group has unlocked a new hobby for George, “At first, I was reluctant because I’m not very good at art, but I like painting; I like to paint flowers. Dandelions are my favorite!” he says.
George says his favorite activity, however, is enjoying a place that is all his, “I like to sit on the front porch and have the radio on and soak in the fact that that’s my place and I have the right to be there.”
Support from ShelterCare programs, staff like Alex, and a stable place to live has changed George’s life forever. Your donation will help us house and provide support to more individuals, so they can continue moving forward in their personal growth. Will you change a life with us by donating today?