'I feel safe'
Barbara is housed with help from Cross-sector Case Conferencing program
Today, Barbara has a stable place to call home. It was thanks in part to a group of people from across the county she’s never met and who have never met her: a group of providers who worked on her case as part of a program called Cross-Sector Case Conferencing.
Barbara loves art, music and stand-up comedy, and is a self-described Scrabble addict. She has a degree in psychology, and used to work as an employment specialist helping adults and high school students with disabilities. She also had a long-time gig writing jokes for a New York-based comedian.
“I used to joke that it would pay for my hearing aid batteries,” she said.
But about a year ago, she fell into homelessness after finding herself in a situation that threatened both her housing and her safety.
“My son started using drugs, and his behavior was scary. He would come over to the apartment and was trying to kick my door down and hollering at everybody at four in the morning,” she said. “The neighbors were
complaining, so they had threatened to evict me, and I didn’t want an eviction on my record.”
Her son would sometimes get violent, and Barbara once experienced a fall while dodging his attacks. “It got to the point where every time somebody knocked on my door, I was so anxious,” she said.
She decided that the safest option was to leave her home in Missoula, Mont. — even though she knew it would mean experiencing homelessness in a place where she didn’t know anyone.
Her first stop was Spokane, Wash. where she “stayed in a shelter there for a couple months, and then they told me my time was up and all the other shelters were full,” she said.
She then went to Vancouver, Wash. in search of more resources.
“I slept in my wheelchair for a couple of nights out in the streets. And it was cold and I was scared,” she said. “You don’t feel safe when you’re homeless, especially when you’re a wheelchair user and you can’t hear.”
With the help of a police officer, she received a referral into one of the City of Portland’s Safe Rest Villages.
It was there that she started working with Danielle, a housing case manager for Cultivate Initiatives, the organization that operated the shelter. Danielle worked closely with Barbara to find stable housing, but they had trouble securing a spot for her.
With Barbara’s permission, Danielle brought her case to a Cross-Sector Case Conferencing meeting. The gatherings, which are funded with Supportive Housing Services (SHS) funding, bring together providers from across multiple types of services — including housing, healthcare, and aging and disability services — to offer resources, ideas and solutions for specific participants needing help.
As a result of Cross-Sector Case Conferencing, Barbara learned she met the eligibility requirements for assisted living housing that could be paid for by Medicaid. Within a few weeks, she had moved into an apartment of her own.
Barbara now has space to do what she loves, especially painting and drawing. She said art is an important part of her life because it boosts her self-esteem and calms her anxiety.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome for Barbara,” said Danielle. “Today, Barbara has a place she can truly call home. She is part of a welcoming community where she can enjoy the things she loves, including being the Scrabble champion, has three meals a day, and receives support with everyday needs like laundry. Who could ask for more.”
Most of all, Barbara said she feels safe, which she hadn’t felt in a long time.
“I haven’t really felt safe since my son started using drugs,” she said. “I feel safe in here.”
