It's A Long Walk From The Street - A journey with a guy named "Joe" - part 8

When we got back upstairs, we met with “Keli.” We sat and talked at length about Joe’s case. I realized that I had become a case-worker for my friend. We looked at what the goals were for Joe’s case. We talked about what had been done previously before Joe became homeless. We realized that he was obviously qualified to received government assistance – including disability. However, he was denied. When he received the notice that he had been denied, Joe didn’t pursue it any further.

Keli explained to us that the government office has a practice of denying a certain percentage of the disability claims that they receive regardless of whether the applicants are qualified or not. If an applicant appeals the denial then the office will take a serious look at the application. However, most people don’t know this. Instead, they will either assume that the denial is final and not move on it any further; or they will reapply, which puts them in that category of first time applicants again and set them up to be denied once more. Keli told us that we can expect to be denied – but to appeal the denial. She noted that the fact that Joe had previously received General Assistance payments was a good indicator that he was qualified for disability.

She further assisted us with clarifying the goals for Joe’s case. He needed to be examined by a physician to establish medical records. Some time ago Joe had his medical records from the physician that did his surgeries but all of that information was lost when he was evicted from an earlier residence. He needed to see a social worker and get a case established. He needed to get into a shelter right away. He needed to get to another city office and apply for food stamps. He needed to get into a rehab facility to assist him with getting clean and sober from alcoholism. With all of this done, there would be the possibility that he could get into a city housing facility where he could be self sufficient.

Lofty goals? Most definitely.

When we left Keli’s office, we went to the Ghent Area Ministry. This place provided a lot of assistance for homeless persons. But the one thing that Joe needed from them that day was clothing. You see, Joe’s clothes were soiled and tattered. We were headed into the dead of winter so Joe needed sufficient clothing for the upcoming weather. He needed clothing that would give him a better outlook on his life. We found just what he needed. They had warm outdoor clothing. They had nice dress clothing. They had great winter coats. Joe got the amount of clothing that they allotted for each homeless person that came through – a coat, a couple of pairs of pants, a couple of shirts, a couple of sweaters, a pair of shoes, etc. We left with a large bag of items that this wonderful ministry gave Joe.

It was now my turn to give. I took Joe to Wal-Mart. We found him some comfortable underwear, socks, washcloths, a bath towel, a toothbrush and toothpaste, some deodorant, and a comfortable hiking backpack to carry his things in. Being homeless and navigating the shelters requires mobility. You need to be able to move all of your belongings quickly.