Lee had been in sober living for a year, but he timed out of the program without having found a place to live, and he ended up back on the streets, mostly living in his car in safe parking facilities. The Friends In Deed Street Outreach and Housing team became involved, and worked with Lee to get his documents ready for reentry into housing. He was awarded a Section 8 voucher, placed in an apartment in Pasadena, and found work as a pet groomer.
Unfortunately, that’s when it all started to go wrong again. Lee had a relapse, got into legal trouble, and lost his job. But, because he already had connections with Friends In Deed, he was referred to our Intensive Case Management Services staff for help. ICMS has worked with Lee to start untangling the mess. His case manager wrote some letters to the court to help with the legal issues and referred him to the High Road Program’s location in Pasadena for DUI treatment services. They also worked to get his Section 8 paperwork changed so his rent would reflect his current reduced income, and got him connected to food pantries and to SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). And last, they are looking to get him into a hospitality training program to help him get back into the workforce.
For many people, recovery is a long and hard road, which is only made harder if they lack family and community support. Friends In Deed’s ICMS initiative aims to mitigate that and give new hope to people like Lee.