One of the services we offer women in our Hope for Her Program is Case Management. In 2020 we provided more than 172 hours of Case Management to women who dropped by our offices or attended Hope for Her. Why is Case Management so important? One of our Case Managers shares her perspective below.
The first thing I do in Case Management is ask a woman where she is in life and provide space for her to share how she is currently doing and where she wants to go. From there, we work together to build a Care Plan for her life. A Care Plan is a roadmap to where they want to be, including goals like finding a new job, getting stable housing, paying off debt, etc. I’m there to ask questions that help them identify their goals, connect them to resources, support them through the whole process, and then celebrate when they achieve a goal! They do all of the hard work and it’s very empowering.
In June, I met this woman, I’ll call her Susie. She came to our Resource Center after having met one of our Outreach volunteers. Through case management, we made a care plan and continued to meet regularly to help her achieve her goals. Over time, Susie found a job outside of the club and began making decisions to work toward her goals. A couple of weeks ago, Susie came to the office and brought her dancing shoes to me and said,
“I need your help. I have my shoes from dancing and I don’t know what to do with them. I don’t want to take them to Goodwill because it could encourage another girl to live the life I did. Can I give them to you? I‘m not going back!”
Moments like these make it all worth it; all of the time, energy, and emotional investment. Susie is now free!
I love my job because I get to show these women that God cares about all of the details of their lives and He provides a way to a better future.
