Ocell Donaldson was first introduced and referred to CitySquare by another agency and accessed
services through the Resource Center with Neighbor Support Services case
management. He originally came to
CitySquare in need of financial assistance, employment, transportation and food
assistance.
In January 2011, at intake, Ocell was
unemployed and at risk of homelessness. He
received a notice to vacate from his apartment complex, was about to get evicted,
and in desperate need of financial rental assistance and assistance with
meeting his other basic needs.
CitySquare's Neighbor Support Services provided Ocell
with: medium term rental assistance (for 9 months),
Intensive
Case Management--working on setting and completing goals, provided hygiene
and toiletries, bus passes, clothing vouchers to the CitySquare Thrift Store,
money management/life skills and employment workshop classes. He also received food from the pantry and
community resources.
Today, Ocell Donaldson is stably housed
and able to pay his rent each month. Ocell
is also employed full time at DART and has maintained employment at DART for
the last 7 months and now receives full benefits.
Ocell was referred to CitySquare by West
Dallas Multipurpose Center when they could no longer provide Ocell with rental
assistance. CitySquare at that time had
Homeless Prevention Rapid-Re-Housing (HPRP) funding, which allowed CitySquare to
provide rental assistance to neighbors for up to 18 months, if needed. This
funding was designed to provide assistance for a longer period of time, thus
allowing a neighbor to get back on their feet, prevent homelessness, and have
neighbors keep and maintain their housing by achieving housing stably. Ocell is the perfect example of what HPRP
funding was designed to do. When I
first met Ocell in January 2011, he reported that he had been laid off his job
in Feb. 2009 and had been struggling to find employment ever since. Ocell’s unemployment had ran out in Oct.
2010.
Unable to find employment Ocell
had not been able to pay the rent on his 2-bedroom room apartment. Ocell is an honest, hard-working neighbor
and has even had a poem he wrote published.
He currently is working on writing an entire book of poetry.
During the time he received case management
through Neighbor Support services, CitySquare was able to provide Ocell with
financial assistance with rent and utilities.
We were able to get his landlord to move him into a one-bedroom
apartment lowering his rent. Ocell was
dedicated to find employment and provided job search logs, indicating he was
willing to do whatever it took to get employed and he was willing to work anywhere.
I mailed Ocell a daily bus pass every week so
he could attend life skills/employment and money management classes and every
week he showed up.
During intake, Ocell
stated he couldn’t get food stamps and assistance with food. I referred Ocell to the food stamp
representatives downstairs at CitySquare’s food pantry and Ocell began
receiving food stamps (SNAP) benefits shortly after. He also shopped in CitySquare’s pantry to
meet his additional food needs.
During
this time, Ocell had met goals and gained employment, however, he had also
experienced set-backs by getting laid off again by his new employer. When the HPRP grant ended, Ocell had gained
employment again allowing him to pay his rent when CitySquare no longer
could. Ocell came in my office a couple
of weeks ago and reported that he no longer had that job but has been employed
at DART for the last 7 months and receives full benefits, and access to
transportation (courtesy of DART). Ocell
is stably housed and pays his rent on time every month. Ocell is able to meet all his basic needs and
more without assistance. He will
frequently stop by CitySquare to say hi and to thank CitySquare for our partnership with him. During
his most recent visit earlier this week, he informed me that his daughter is now
enrolled and attending college.
Krystal Lotspeich
Social worker at CitySquare