Have you made any New Year’s Resolutions this year? It’s January and most of us are using this month to make a fresh start and work on some resolutions for the year ahead. For us, that often means setting goals around self-improvement, our careers, or giving back to our communities. Some years we live up to those resolutions. Often, however, resolutions fall by the wayside. For our residents, goals are an important part of their journey to stability.
Here at WHC, our residents have their own version of personal goal setting. Twice a year each case manager sits down with their residents to create their Individual Service Plans. Each resident’s plan will contain individual goals that they set for themselves to accomplish within 6 months. These goals are self-determined and are steps in helping them stay housed or gain the skills they need to remain housed.
What does that look like? For some it is staying sober for one day at a time (and then the next and the next) or to get back up if they fall off their sobriety. For others it is about letting go of the guilt that has them spend rent money on their children instead of paying the rent. For others, it is working on trust and being able to open up to their case manager. For a few it might be about learning what their triggers are that set off anger or mental health relapses. Others are working on educational goals, getting and keeping a job, pulling together the information needed and applying for disability, or learning where resources are to help them stretch their $179/month income by getting free healthy food or free/low cost clothing.
When you look at this list and compare them to our goals, you realize how hard their work is and how important it is for the WHC to help them set and achieve their goals. It also makes you realize how blessed we are and how helping someone in need can really change their life one step, one goal, one door of change at a time!