From Our Perspective – Lisa
OFC staff are often asked what it is like to do street outreach. This is one of our stories. Lisa Dunworth is an employee of Summitstone Health Partners and serves as OFC’s Behavioral Health Clinician.
Recently I found myself responding to a call from one of our partners in the area. They had a patron who was elderly and had recently become homeless for the first time in their 70 years. Sometimes when we get calls they don’t include disruptive behavior or concerns, just a person who needs help making a plan.
I met with Sam (who’s name has been changed) and listened to their story. Ultimately Sam was brand new to Ft. Collins and had been dropped off at one of our local shelters from out of state. Sam had never stayed at a homeless shelter — though Sam had been staying with a friend, Sam had never identified as homeless. Sam doesn’t have mental health issues or use substances, just an elderly person who by a variety of circumstances became homeless. I helped with bus tickets to get to the Murphy Center and encouraged Sam to go directly there to get an intake appointment and to speak with the Senior Services representative from Catholic Charities. Sam already had a lead on a senior apartment in another town and was able to work with the Senior Services staff member to complete the needed application for potential future housing.
This situation was a different one for me, Sam doesn’t fit the norm of the clients we often work with, but Sam’s needs were no less significant. The key to our work is to meet clients where they are at, to listen to their needs, and to help them make a plan.