Foundational Community Supports Team Provides David with Stable Housing and a Helping Hand
Our Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team across the state of Washington offers supportive housing and employment services to anyone who is Medicaid-eligible. The FCS program is a part of our Community Integrations division. Shelly Miller, FCS supportive housing specialist and regional lead in the North Sound, recently shared a story on David, a housing client she has worked with for over a year now.
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Shelley said, “I first met David at the “Courage to Change” men’s shelter in Everett where he had been living for a couple of months following his discharge from the former Pioneer Center North residential treatment center. David was being treated for his long-term opiate use disorder.”
For several years, David had been struggling with long-term homelessness and chronic pain with his hip. He was in desperate need of a hip replacement surgery but the doctors were not willing to perform surgery until David was clean and sober, and able to find stable housing. It was explained that he needed to have a stable place to heal after the surgery.
David stated, “I always had addiction problems even as young as nine years old. However, it started to get bad when I was in my teens when I was really crazy and dumb. However, I did get a good job at the ship yards and at 24 I had a son.”
He continued, “My drug of choice was cocaine and alcohol at that time. Years of working at the ship yard was tough and my body started to give out. First it was my knees needed replacement surgery. I was prescribed pain pills so I could get through the day. I was 45 at the time, but I did not get my surgery until I was 50. The doctors just kept prescribing the pain pills and my addiction to OxyContin and methadone grew, while the prescriptions diminished and the price soared. When I could not get the pain pills I switched to heroin and soon fell into serious addiction where I lost everything – my job, home and family.”
When his heroin addiction took over, his family wanted nothing to do with David. Tragedy struck, with David’s son dying, and he found himself living out of his car for years. “I got tired of crying myself to sleep at night and knew I was getting old. I just could not keep destroying myself so I went to a shelter, but I was still using. After I got kicked out I went into treatment at Pioneer Center North. When I finished treatment, I went to stay at the Courage to Change shelter where I met Shelly, the supportive housing specialist from Pioneer Human Services,” said David. The shelter was on the second floor of a building that did not have an elevator, so his living situation was not considered to be a stable and safe place for him to recover. Through Shelly and the FCS supportive housing program, David was able to first find new temporary housing arrangements at a faith-based recovery housing program that was a better fit for him with his physical limitations. And, while living there, Shelly Miller was able to secure permanent housing for David at Toft Terrace in Ballard.
The FCS Transitional Assistance Program (TAPS) was able to provide him with basic move-in necessities including dishes, silverware, cooking utensils and a new microwave which David really appreciated. Shelly commented, “Once David had settled into his new home at Toft Terrace, he was finally able to get his hip replacement surgery and is now able to move around freely without a cane and with minimal issues with chronic pain. I am so proud that David has now been stably housed for a little over a year and just signed his second lease with this property manager.”
Shelly added, “David continues to manage his recovery through outpatient services and is exploring some potential future career opportunities through the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) services that supports people with disabilities to reach their employment goals.”
David shared, “I now have a new handle on life and will continue to better myself. I like being clean and having my own place. It has been over a year living in my apartment and I am signing a lease for another year. It is exciting to get involved in the DVR program to get trained in something new and go back to work. It has also been real a blessing to connect with my family again and spend time with my grandson.”
Shelly shared, “David has come such a long way since I met him at that shelter and has overcome so many barriers. It is very rewarding to see him being able to walk around freely without his cane and making progress on all of his goals that had been put on hold for so long due to his health and chronic homelessness. What a joy to have the opportunity to keep up on his progress and visit him in his new home to see the continual improvements in progress!”
Top Photo: Left -David; Right - Shelly Miller, FCS sopportive housing specialist