Case Study #1

  • (6/17/22) Another aspect of the Covenant House that I have become involved with is their rapid housing programs run by Renee. With these kinds of programs, Renee can help people who are experiencing homeless or imminent homeless by providing their landlords a deposit and first month’s rent. This helps the individuals onto their feet and assistance for long term housing. For Renee this week, I engaged in house and apartment hunting to find suitable locations for clients. Normally, we have to reach out to the realtors or property owners to first inquire if they would be willing to work with Covenant House because while payment is guaranteed since finances are received from a federal grant, the businesses often have to engage in paper agreements with the Covenant House. Renee is also required to do inspections of the house they are providing funding for- which is an unforgettable experience of mine. Each location must be met to a certain standard for Covenant House to receive grant funding, but the house that we were inspecting arguably did not reach a level of viability for inhabitants. The floors were rotted so badly that there were cave-ins that prevented access to certain parts of the house, the sink had completely detached from the wall and left the kitchen uninhabitable, and patterns of dried feces were found on the walls of the entire house. The building was in such deplorable condition that it needed to be condemned. Regardless, a desperate mother with four children was attempting to move into the building because they had no other options. Since this client had been living out of their car, like many other homeless individuals across Charleston, Child Protective Services was obligated to rehome the children. There was prior history that this client had with CPS, as far as Covenant House was aware, concerning 911 calls reporting children locked in a hot car and suspicious activity of the mother. Luckily, the client was able to rebound from this devastating situation. The client was able to obtain a job, apartment hunt, stay in contact with Covenant House, and collaborate with CPS for visitation. Unfortunately, the first attempt at signing a lease with a landlord had fell through at the end of the third week into the transition of the fourth. This began the apartment hunting process all over again. The experience that most impacted me by this case study, thus far, has been the combination of humbling and ecstatic feelings. I didn’t realize how much of a positive impact that I had on these clients and looking back- that feels like a really cynical view of human beings. Everybody thrives with hope and the resources that they provided to them; I’m functioning as one of those resources. I’m also ecstatic because I feel like I’m exceeding at my tasks- especially because clients are remembering my name, our interactions, and that my impact is lasting. I’m excited to see where the rest of my experience leads me.  

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