Permanent Supportive Housing program success story

The following is a story from an individual who receives services from our Permanent Supportive Housing program. This program serves persons and families, with low incomes and a qualifying disability, helping them maintain safe, sanitary and secure housing. Persons are referred to the program through the Louisiana state Office of Aging and Adult Services (OAAS). The program's Housing Support Team provides persons with case management services, helping them outline goals and practical steps toward reaching them. The team serves more than 200 persons with an array of services that include budgeting, employment search, obtaining entitlements, developing social networks and health and mental health referrals.

Mr. G was a homeless but determined individual with a desire to become independent and self sufficient. He desired to become a chef and open his own business. Mr. G started receiving services from Volunteers of America in 2005 and brought with him the baggage of mental health illness and substance abuse.

Throughout the duration of his treatment, Mr. G experienced many obstacles that hindered him from seeing the positive side of his ambitions. Mr. G encountered a few visits of being in and out of the correctional institution for an array of offenses, all resulting from poor judgment. Even though Mr. G. encountered these setbacks, he continued to think positively about what he desired. At times, Mr. G experienced different stages of depression. Each step Mr. G took towards rejoining society, he was knocked down again. He lost his job due to incarceration and personal injury.

Through it all, the support he received from Volunteers of America's Supportive Housing Program gave him the incentive to succeed and become a better person for himself and his children.

In 2010, Mr. G became aware of a personal trade he possessed and decided to open his
own business. Mr. G is a proud owner of his own lawn maintenance company, where
he’s consistently building his clientele. Mr. G has moved into an apartment with the help of Volunteers of America and has found his soul-mate whom he states one day in the near future he
will soon marry. Mr. G is a great example of someone who continuously had setbacks but was determined to succeed thanks to help from Volunteers of America.

Adoption Success Story

Valerie & Darrell adopted their daughter, Sophie, through Volunteers of America over 5 1/2 years ago. Valerie immediately became a stay at home mother, and they relished their role as parents.

After a few years, Valerie & Darrell felt that they family was not yet complete. They again turned to Volunteers of America's Adoption program to build their family. With Sophie's adoption, their wait was somewhat shorter. While waiting for an expectant mother to select them, they relied on their faith that God had a plan for them.

Recently, an expectant mother in our program selected Valerie an Darrell. Unlike some other expectant mothers who had picked other families over Valerie & Darrell, this expectant mother was drawn to the fact that they already had adopted a child. The expectant mother felt that by being successful parents to Sophie, Valerie & Darrell must have known what they were doing. Also, she wanted her child to have an immediate sibling.

Valerie & Darrell waited anxiously for the call that they could pick up their second daughter. They decided to wait to tell Sophie until they arrived at the Volunteers of America office. Sophie was just as excited as her parents to meet her baby sister. Valerie & Darrell say that Sophie has proudly stepped into the role of big sister and loves helping her parents care for baby Audrey. Valerie & Darrell now feel that their family is complete.

Our Adoption & Maternity program creates loving families through adoption and serves birth parents and adoptive parents with counseling, support groups, and community education.

Mardi Gras Safety Tips

Courtesy of our Safety Awareness Committee, here are some safety tips for this year's Mardi Gras season.

Mardi Gras season is here, so if I can draw your attention away from that King Cake for a moment, here are some tips to ensure a safe, fun Carnival.

Children want to see the parades at Mardi Gras and catch throws. Although the crowds along the routes are family-friendly, they can be heavy. You don't want your kids running around trying to catch throws and getting lost or stepped on by others vying for the beads and those collectible throws.

We New Orleanians have Mardi Gras ladders specially designed for safety. You can make your own or buy a seat at your local hardware store. They are made by bolting a Mardi Gras seat on top of a 6-foot ladder. Here, the little ones can watch the parade safely. They not only see better, they stay put.

By law, these ladders must be placed as far back from the street as they are tall. To keep them steady, always have an adult standing on the back.

Write your cell phone number on your child's arm with a marker - better that it takes you a while to get them clean than have them get lost. Also, write your cell phone number, the child's name and any other pertinent info on a piece of paper and put it in your child's pocket. Tell them it's there and to show it to a police officer if they get lost. Finally, don’t forget to set your phone on its loudest ring tone and vibrate - it gets pretty loud around here this time of year.

So, that being said—laissez les bon temps roulez - let the good times roll.

Ben's Poem

Ben is a resident of our Veterans' Transitional Housing program, which provides housing, job training, support services and more to homeless veterans. Click here to watch a testimonial he gave us about his experiences at Volunteers of America. Below is a poem he wrote entitled "Homeless Walk the Streets".








"Homeless Walk the Streets"

DAY & NIGHT HOMELESS WALK THE STREETS

MANIC-DEPRESSIVES, SCHIZOPHRENICS IN SHEETS

SOME LOOKING FOR A HANDOUT!

OTHERS, WONDER WHAT IT’S ABOUT?

SOME HAVE FALLEN, MOSTLY, AGAINST THEIR WILL

OTHERS, WILL GO LOWER & LOWER STILL

“THERE’S A FINE LINE BETWEEN GENIUS AND INSANITY”***

TO LATE TO WORRY ABOUT THINGS SUCH AS VANITY

WHAT TO DO? WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

TIRED OF THE DRUGS, THE LIQUOR & THE BEER

SOME LOOKING FOR A BETTER LIFE, A BETTER WAY!

OTHERS, WONDER IF THEY’LL SEE THE NEXT DAY?

SOME LOOK AT THE HOMELESS AS IF THEIR DIRT

OTHERS, KNOW THE HOMELESS FEEL & HURT

WHAT OF THE CHILDREN, THE LAME & THE SICK

DO WE CHASE THEM AWAY, OR HIT E’M WITH A STICK?

WHAT IF IT WAS YOUR BROTHER, SISTER OR YOU?

THEN WHAT WOULD YOU SAY, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

SOME LOOKING FOR REDEMPTION, A WAY BACK!

OTHERS, WONDER IF THEY CAN RECOVER FROM CRACK?

SOME WANT TO BELIVE THERE’S ANOTHER CHANCE

OTHERS, WANT TO SEEK HELP, BUT LOOK ASKANCE

MOST HOMELESS WANT SOMETHING, FOOD OR MONEY

STILL SOME YEARN FOR THE LOST LAND OF ‘MILK & HONEY’

THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE WILL’N TO GIVE LOVE,

TO UNDERSTAND, TO EMPATHIZE, TO BE A FRIEND

BUT STILL THE HOMELESS LOOK, WONDER & YEARN

SOME LOOKING TO BE UNDERSTOOD, FOR LOVE & FRIENDSHIP

OTHERS, WONDER IF ANYONE CARES, IF THERE IS A GOD?

***“There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line” -OSCAR LEVANT

Hollywood's Story

Ronald, known as “Hollywood” to his friends, is a Gentilly native and Army veteran with a big smile and exuberant spirit. Ronald led a happy life before Hurricane Katrina. A proud homeowner in St. Bernard Parish, he had a good job with Shell, managing the company’s largest oil rig in the Gulf. He was also the patriarch of a proud, happy family.

Katrina hit, and brought with it flood waters 28 feet deep – enough to make the house across the street from Ronald's “look like it was hit by a bomb”. He’s only recently begun to open up about the seven days he spent stranded atop his home in Violet – “helicopters passed me every day…CNN got footage of me swimming…but no one came to help”. Ronald was finally rescued and treated in Austin, TX, but was “covered in snake bites, had suffered a minor stroke, and doctors told me I might never walk again”.

The storm gradually took away everything Ronald had. After making a full recovery from his injuries, he returned to a wrecked home, no job, and a marriage that had begun to falter. He fell into a deep depression and struggled to rebuild his life.

Ronald contacted Veterans’ Affairs, but was placed on a waiting list. While he waited patiently for things to improve, he moved in with a friend, which he recalls as difficult – “it didn’t work out”. Finally, in November 2010, VA connected him with Volunteers of America, where he was given a chance for a fresh start at our Napoleon Avenue facility. “It’s been a positive experience”, says Ronald. “The Napoleon Avenue facility is a safe, secure environment with lots of resources for veterans”. He also praises the facility for its familial environment, and it’s pretty clear that he’s well-loved by fellow residents, who always greet him with an enthusiastic “Hollywood!” and joke amiably with him.

If it weren’t for Volunteers of America, a homeless shelter is where this proud, hard-working New Orleans native says he would be. Now, with our help, he’s working on building up strength to return to work at Shell. Volunteers of America has given him the tools Ronald needs to rebuild the life taken from under him by the storm.

Click here to watch Ronald's testimonial.

David's Story

David is a resident of our Veterans' Transitional Housing program, which helps homeless veterans rebuild their lives by providing housing, job training, support services and more. Originally from Chicago, he moved to New Orleans in the early 80's after serving in the military.

David struggled with alcoholism, addiction, and homelessness; he was displaced to Arkansas after Katrina and moved back to Chicago, where he was beset with many problems. David returned to New Orleans and in July of 2009 began living at our veterans' facility. He's noted that Volunteers of America has "helped him tremendously" and he's now on his way to earning a degree in culinary arts at Delgado Community College. "Volunteers of America saved me and got my mind right", says David, who cites that he's now more proactive and better equipped to take care of himself since receiving services from us.

Click here to watch David's testimonial.

Mark's Story

Mark (pictured on the left, at a recent ceremony honoring veterans) is a resident of our Veterans Transitional Housing program, which helps homeless veterans rebuild their lives by providing housing, job training, support services, and more. He’s a New Orleans native who joined the Air Force shortly after graduating high school. While in the Air Force, he served as a K-9 dog handler with the security police and guarded Loring Air Force Base’s nuclear facility among his other duties.

It was during this time that Mark began to develop addictions. He was hospitalized in 1978 and “100% disabled”, he says. Mark gradually recovered from his addictions to pursue college degrees and was married in 1982. Upon moving back to New Orleans in 1990, however, he relapsed, and lost his marriage and family. Mark struggled throughout the 1990’s with his addictions until becoming sober for good in 2000.

Throughout the first decade of the 21^st century, Mark was the primary caregiver for his mother, father, and grandmother. He finally found a home at our Veterans’ facility through Veterans’ Affairs in January of 2010, and has since successfully pursued the personal goals he had struggled to achieve for so long. While in our program, he has built a stronger relationship with his children and wife, found stability, and grown emotionally. He’s become involved in supporting his community and environment, and recently traveled to Louisville for leadership training through the Freret Neighborhood Center. He’s also signed up to volunteer for Volunteers of America and has sought job training. His future plans include working with homeless veterans and working for group homes.

Mark speaks highly of Volunteers of America. “This is one of the better facilities for people in my situation…it’s run in such a way that one can accomplish their goals. The people I’ve met here are like family...they take a very personal approach”.