Supporting people is crucial… even when it’s difficult

Our mission is to support people to successfully live, work, and learn in the community. It was those tenets that Teresa was focused on when she took one particular individual on her caseload. This person, whose name will not be revealed but for the sake of this story will be called “John,” was recently released from prison and has a felony charge.

Though his return to society was laden with challenges, Teresa was relentless in her efforts to support him.
Thanks to her assistance, his tenacity, and the natural supports of his family, “John” has successfully held a job, improved his credit score to purchase a vehicle, and is now pursuing the opportunity to live on his own.
With recidivism rates in Ohio estimating that nearly one-third of people convicted are likely to re-offend, “John’s” success is a victory in more ways than one.

“If I were in his place, I would want someone to do their best for me.”

“He’s gotten his quality of life back,” said Teresa. She knew taking on someone with John’s background would be a challenge but she also recognized the importance of doing her best to support everyone on her caseload.
“If I were in his place, I would want someone to do their best for me,” she said. And so that’s what she did.

Teresa says she had to learn a lot from trial and error. When he was first released, “John” had Social Security but almost immediately, he lost that and was without an income. She said she spent hours working with him and Social Security to get that reinstated to no avail.

Additionally, “John” struggled to find work. He didn’t have money to pay for his prescriptions, he didn’t have insurance or Medicaid. One by one, Teresa worked with “John” to help him reestablish himself.

In the beginning, Teresa says “John” was going into a depression, he couldn’t sleep and was really struggling. Teresa was real with him. She acknowledged his struggles but also pointed to all the ways he was so fortunate. His natural supports kept him from being homeless, for instance.

Now, she says, he feels he’s been given a second chance. “He has a second chance of life and he’s grateful to everyone who helped him along the way.”