How Many Times?

How many times does it take for a person to be successful in achieving a positive outcome from staying in shelter?

Is one time enough? Is seven times too many?

For some, once is enough and for others it could be the seventh time.

Recently we had a gentleman who had been in and out of the shelter twice due to alcoholism. He entered the third time and made the decision to work the program. He had a few setbacks but was able to work through the challenges they caused with the help of his case manager. He was willing to work at his goals a bit harder and that was a good sign.

When his 90 days were up, he had to ask for an extension but it was due to the fact that he was on track and needed a bit more time to complete his case plan. Again, this was a good sign. After he completed the training for his job, he was able to acquire full time employment, with benefits! This enabled him to get into a place of his own.

He stays in touch with us, and seems to be happy and staying on track. Obviously, it would be great if the first time was always the entry that brought a positive exit, but we never know and we always try to err on the side of grace. We want to give everyone who enters the tools they need to be successful, the key is that they decide to be successful or that they choose to work with their case manager to make their goals happen.