Friday, June 5, 2015

Fear of Moving Forward

By Johnae Sawyer, Aftercare Case Manager

The world is a scary place especially for those who experience being homeless. Many of the families I work with have one thing in common, fear of returning to homelessness. Not everyone that becomes homeless is someone that had no desire to work or care for their families. Many people experience some sort of life changing event that affects their financial stability.  Things spiral out of control leaving families with nowhere to call home. While case managing families, I see first-hand, the fear of what’s to come, that many program participants struggle to focus on the present.


One of my clients has struggle with securing permanent employment after leaving Community LINC and moving into permanent housing. She was offered a job at a large corporation and was so excited to start her new journey making more money than she’s ever made. She resigned from her old job and a week before she was to start her new position she received a letter stating that all positions had been filled and they were no longer in need of additional employees. This was devastating and a major blow to her financially. I continued to encourage her never to give up and that this was just a stumbling block. She continued to search and found another job however it was only part-time but was more than what she had. In her case her fears motivated her to give life all she has so that she will be able to keep a roof over her and her child’s head.  She has now secured a new position and within a month was told to apply for a higher paying position due to her excellent work ethic. Life can throw out many curve balls however hard work and dedication always pays off in the long-run.

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