hi there friends.
Sorry for the long leave of absence.
Life here at TC is going well. Case management is also going well. It is keeping me busy and I am learning alot about what a case manager is, who I become as a case manager, and who I am in general. life is taking me for a ride these days, but it is a ride that I rather enjoy.
I am learning a lot of the resources around the Denver metro area and I am making a few contacts within these agencies. Like anything else, there is always more to learn as things change in the blink of an eye. I fidn that I enjoy being able to tell people who come here looking for help places that they can go and agencies - it makes me feel good to be able to refer them to places that are actually able to help them where they are at.
Most days work goes well though there are times when I become overwhelmed and am ready to leave for the day. I was really frustrated at intake yesterday with a person's situation and what seemed like he was going to be screwed over.
A litte background information:: when it comes to transitional housing, there aren't a lot of places like TC that, if you meet the requirements, you are able to move in the same day. Granted there are times when we don't have rooms open which means a family has to wait until one comes about - but we usually have a pretty decent rate of turn-over. Right now we have like 8 rooms open, or something like that. It's pretty ridiuclous, actually. This month there haven't been a lot of people who are able to meet our qualifications and move in. We have had at least 6 rooms open for like 3 weeks.
Back to this man - he was a single dad who was just kicked out of the shelter that he was staying in. [I'll be honest, I haven't been hearing great things about this particular shelter and it has been making me not so happy.] So, he comes here and because his TANF doesn't kick in until the end of the month, and we can't take him. I think about different places that would take him and his 9 month old daughter so that they don't have to sleep out in the cold. Nothing. Not a single damn place had space to take a single father. I was fuming! Absolutely upset. So much so that I'm working myself up to tears.
Thankfully God created us to be resourceful. After much thinking, he was able to overcome the fact that he didn't like his daughter's grandmother and took her there to stay for a few days until he's able to find an organization that can voucher him into here until his TANF comes in. I was able to get one of the residents in the NLP to call over to our downtown facility and secure this man a bed for 7 days. God was really working in this situation. So, as far as I know, he is there again tonight, waiting for an agency to say they have money to move him into our residence until the 1st of next month.
I know that God has this family in his hands and that he is working on hearts and has been planning for this very moment for ages. Speaking of God doing great things, in December I am going to be participating in something so very cool! My church has put together a fundraiser for our new building & it's operating costs, Denver's Road Home & the Denver Rescue Mission, called A Night In A Box.
I am so excited to be a part of this and see God work in amazing ways. Our goal is to raise $100,000 and to be honest, I see us raising a whole lot more than that. It sounds like a lofty goal, but I have huge faith that we are going to surpass it.
I am always looking for sponsors for this. It doesn't have to be a ton of money - $5 makes a huge difference. See A Night In A Box for details :)
God has blessed me immensely through Providence. I have made great friends, been a part of fun times and see myself staying there and being a part of it for a long while. :)
Time is getting away from me and I really need to head to bed. Have a 9 o'clock meeting in the am. Yikes!
With love & blessings,
Amanda
