Meet Kate and Jamal, both of whom are experiencing homelessness—but this is where their similarities end. Kate hears voices, sees people who aren’t there (such as children playing in the back seat of the outreach team’s van), and experiences other extreme emotional states that often land her in inpatient psychiatric care at St. Elizabeth’s. Thus, Kate’s struggle to maintain stable housing has been a lifelong journey, as her extreme emotional distress began at a very young age.
Jamal, on the other hand, is an honorably discharged, Vietnam-era veteran, who worked in traveling carnivals for decades until last year when his employment “dried up” and he settled in DC without a home. He exudes a military toughness and can-do attitude but admits that “veterans have been through a lot that they don’t want to talk about…that is kept hidden.”
When the Downtown Homeless Services Team met Kate and Jamal recently in the DowntownDC BID area, they began the lengthy process of listening to and understanding them, and planning for housing. Through discussions normally held in a park, Kate wasted no time expressing her desire: to get her case management team to meet with her on a more reliable, versus sporadic, basis. She hadn’t seen them in at least 45 days, too long for someone supposedly receiving intensive support.
Jamal had a different problem. Sleeping on DC streets for nine months, he had yet to tap into potentially available services or housing. He didn’t know where to start and wanted a reliable guide to help navigate the complex social service system. Together, he and the outreach team quickly drew up a plan, which entailed accessing housing through the Veterans Administration and a new veterans program at Pathways to Housing DC. To reach this goal, he needed to obtain valid identification, verify his military service, complete an intake form for the veterans housing program and meet its staff, visit the Social Security Office to order a duplicate Social Security card (for his housing application), and get food stamps.
With a workable plan, Jamal and the Downtown Homeless Services Team collaborated to complete these activities. The outreach team coordinated with members of the veterans program to visit Jamal on the street where he was physically located to help build trust and to bring services directly to where he was experiencing homelessness. After visiting the food stamp office, Jamal became eligible for assistance. The outreach team gathered the various forms needed to get a valid ID and Social Security card and successfully obtained those important documents. So just three weeks after first establishing contact with the outreach team, Jamal was hopeful that he would obtain housing.
Kate’s journey wasn’t as smooth. Just days after initial contact with the outreach team, she was hospitalized involuntarily at St. Elizabeth’s because she posed a risk to herself and others. Upon learning about her predicament, the outreach staff visited her repeatedly to provide a calming and supportive presence and to determine what Kate wanted to do next. She expressed appreciation for the visits because her case management team was still oblivious to her whereabouts. Kate asked if we could continue to facilitate reconnecting her with the case manager, especially since she faced an impending discharge from the hospital.
The outreach staff contacted the DC Department of Mental Health (DMH) to help the case management team reconnect with Kate. With DMH in the picture, that team became more responsive, visited Kate in the hospital the very next day, and began playing a vital role in her discharge plan and follow-up. Today, Kate is working with her team to look for affordable housing that can be accessed through an available housing voucher.