You are in: stories » 37th Street Readiness Program
Randi
Randi came into the program as a single and left the program as a single mother. At the age of 34 this was her first time homeless and pregnant. She was already working and going to school full time to earn an Associate's degree as a Medical Assistant.
Randi took advantage of all the programs that seemed to fit what she needed to get through this time in her life. With no family support and no means of financial support other than her part time job she was able to save money to purchase the things she needed for her new baby. The other things that she needed to she was able to obtain through the EPS program as well as the gracious giving of The Salvation Army Chaplin who showered Randi with gifts before the baby as well as after the baby.
Randi continued her schooling and work until she was put on bed rest. Even then she continued to attend all the classes and groups at through the 37th Street Readiness Program and participate in the community environment in a positive way. She was struggling even more financially as she was running into a red tape regarding getting assistance from the state. She did ultimately begin receiving assistance to buy food, needed baby items and have the continued prenatal care that she had from the day she found out she was pregnant.
Randi became a role model to a lot of the other residents on the floor. Randi gave birth to a beautiful baby and returned to the program. She struggled through the first few months as a new mother using the support that she had from the staff on the floor to get through. Randi applied for several housing options but continued to be put on the waiting lists. Randi finally received a phone call from a housing specialist with Heartland Family Service and within 1 week she had been accepted into the Rapid ReHousing Program. It took her some time to find a place that would accept the RRHP voucher as it was a fairly new program at the time. She did find an apartment in the Papillion area which was exactly where she wanted to be.
When Randi moved out of the 37th Street program she moved into a very nice apartment in a very nice area. She continued to do Aftercare with the Case Manager completing 6 months of aftercare. Just prior to her discharge from the Aftercare Program she received a phone call from OHA letting her know that her name was at the top of the Home Funds list.
Randi continues to be a single parent, going to school full time, taking classes to earn her CNA and CMA and working 25 to 30 hours a week.
Kelly
Kelly entered the program with her children in CPS custody and out of work, feeling hopeless. She had been evicted from her home because she lost her job and she had nowhere to go. And, Kelly was pregnant with her 3rd child. She came to the 37th Street program to begin a new journey, hopefully one that would lead her to a better place. Kelly came in with her defenses up and did not trust her case manager.
Through case management, her case manager learned that the one goal that Kelly had was to find work so that she could afford housing and get custody of her children back. Her children were her motivation to do better for herself. This seemed like an impossible feat in such a short amount of time.
Within the first two weeks, Kelly found full time employment. She celebrated this small victory and kept pushing through. Kelly still had to comply with all of the CPS recommendations, attend numerous court hearings, and cooperate with the foster parents of her children, which had been hard for her all along.
With the help of case management, readiness class and parenting class, Kelly learned how to cope with her stressors, how to live independently and budget her money, better discipline techniques for her children, active listening skills, and perhaps the hardest lesson of all was learning how to control her anger so that she could communicate with people more efficiently.
Kelly was a different person when her time came for her to exit the program. She obtained housing at The Salvation Army THRU program. This was a natural step for Kelly as she still needed the supportive services provided by the housing programs at The Salvation Army. She had maintained her full time employment during her entire stay in the program. She completed parenting class and received her certificate. She completed readiness class and graduated. Kelly had successfully completed the 37th Street Program.
That was all fine, but what Kelly really wanted was her children. Her case manager went with her to the last court hearing right before Kelly was to leave the program. The judge decided that Kelly had turned her life around and praised her for how hard she had been working. It was ordered that Kelly begin receiving unsupervised and overnight visits, with the children to return to her care full time within a month. Kelly gave birth shortly thereafter to a beautiful baby.
Charles
Charles entered the 37th Street Program a young man who had never lived independently. Charles had experienced a troubled youth, as many members of his family were anything but positive role models, and did not have a lot of external support outside of the supportive environment he had previously had while living at Boystown. Charles had a previous substance abuse history and had spent most of his adolescence hanging out with the wrong crowd. When he entered the 37th Street Program he had already enrolled in college and made the decision to turn his life around. Charles was attending school full time and beginning to build up a positive support system. Charles was also diligently seeking employment and secured full-time employment about halfway through his stay in the 37th Street Program. Having a very poor work history, this was a major accomplishment for Charles. Charles managed to wake in the early morning hours to make it to the gym and then school, then worked past midnight six days a week earning a stable income. Charles managed to balance school work and employment and never complained that it was too much for him. Charles rebuilt relationships with the positive members of his family and has reached out to those who have been hurtful to him in the past. Charles managed to save a great amount of money while in the 37th Street Program through his escrow account and secure housing through The Salvation Army's THRU Program. Due to Charles' lack of previous independent living, this was the most appropriate step as he works towards independent housing. Charles continues to do well in the THRU Program, balancing school and work, and will soon be transitioning to independent housing.