Transition

Submitted by Emily Lyons, CTI Case Manager

Transition is hard, but Community LINC is here to make it a little bit easier.

New home, new school, new neighborhood, new sounds, new routine. Transition is hard. Transition is even harder when it involves uncertainty. Families who are experiencing homelessness often struggle with knowing what comes next, and once they do find a more stable place to stay, whether that be with a friend or relative, at a shelter or a community program, most of the uncertainty remains with them: What happens when I have to leave here? When will my time be up? What will we do then? Its questions like these that make already difficult situations turn into impossible tasks. Here at Community LINC, we walk side by side with our residents to make these transitions less daunting. From the day residents enter the program, they are supported by staff to look for employment, enroll children in school, obtain permanent housing, and connect with community resources in order to make their transition to the next chapter of their lives easier. Even after our families leave the furnished apartments on Community LINC’s campus, they are still supported for nine months during our Aftercare program. Preparing our residents to embrace their new chapter is sometimes challenging, but more times than not, it is simply rewarding – especially when through good preparation, the uncertainty diminishes and the excitement regarding their next steps escalates.

Aftercare Matters: Thankful

By Aftercare CTI Case Manager Sara Barrett

 

Thanksgiving takes on new meaning for those families who have graduated from Community LINC’s Interim Housing program and moved into in-home Aftercare Services.

 

“Thanksgiving doesn’t require a turkey or a huge gathering. Don’t get me wrong, I like all of that stuff. But Thanksgiving is a heart issue. Look at all I have, Sara,” said a current Aftercare client.

Sitting at her dining table, we surveyed the rooms around us and made note of how the once bare apartment now looked like a home.

 

We took time to talk about the successes achieved since leaving Community LINC’s onsite program.

“I have so much to be thankful for every day. We will celebrate the holiday with a special meaning this year, in our home, but we carry thanksgiving in our hearts every day for what Community LINC has done for us.”

 

Once again, I am humbled and challenged by the words of the clients we serve every day.  I often forget the humanness behind the work we do, and how, really, we could not do it without them.

 

Thanksgiving takes on new meaning this year for me, as the Aftercare worker, also. I am thankful for the honor of walking with them on a piece of their journey of rebuilding their lives and thankful for the humble insight they offer to the real meaning behind days like Thanksgiving, a treasure often forgotten during the busyness of the holiday.