The Faces we Serve. One Parent’s Story I didn’t know what to do. My child was defiant,...
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Transcript of The Faces we Serve. One Parent’s Story I didn’t know what to do. My child was defiant,...
I didn’t know what to do. My child was defiant, rebellious and
sometimes aggressive.
I felt my family coming apart at the seams. Family life was
chaotic at best.
Then, we found Pendleton Child Service Center and all that changed in a positive way.
My child had no friends and everyone in the family was
becoming more and more isolated.
My child learned how to get along with her peers and her grades
improved.
Individual and family counseling helped us with social
interactions and how to get along with each other.
Pendleton serves an average of 320 children/month with residential and outpatient counseling services.
Youth at the Juvenile Detention Center learn the 5 Ds, tools used for anger management and substance
abuse:
Distract yourselfDelay decision to use or get angryDeep breathingDrink waterDiscuss with others
I learned to stop and think.
It helped me realize I was getting too old for the foolishness.
It helped me stop smoking marijuana.
Post-D helped me get a better relationship with my mother and
avoid pushing her buttons.
You truly made a difference in my family’s life.
JDC* Post-dispositional Program is a co-ed,15 bed, program serving court-ordered youth sentenced for a
maximum of 180 days.
In a matter of 6 months, my son’s behavior turned
around.
Juvenile Detention Center
High rent, the cost of doing business, and the economy did me in.
I had my own shop at Hilltop.
I was forced to close my shop.
A failed marriage did not help.
Applying for benefits and trying to take care of my three children
became a full time job.
SNAP* serves 26,000 people and brings $27.3M into the city. >10,000 people receive medical assistance
through FAMIS**.
*Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program** Family Access Medical Insurance Security
I grew up receiving financial assistance in Baltimore.
Mom didn’t work, and my dad was never around.
I was raised by a single parent with substance abuse problems.
I didn’t drink every day but when I did drink, I did things that later I
didn’t remember.
I was drinking.
Fortunately, I was never abusive.
My wife worked, but we needed help with food and medical expenses. We applied for the TANF*-Unemployed
Parent Program.
TANF serves 1,232 families and generates annual revenue of $3.5M;
Medicaid payments to providers total $185.7M for 41,000 clients.
*Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
From TANF, I entered the VIEW Program.
I went to Job Readiness Group every day and became better prepared to
interview.
Then I went into substance abuse counseling and stopped drinking.
That was 99% of my problem.
Now that I am working, I get help with medical* and child care expenses.
VIEW serves 480 families a month. >1000 families receive help with child care.
After 29 years of working, I got fired!
I was devastated.
I was so depressed. I hardly left the house for a year.
I applied for food assistance and had to go into the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Education and Training
Program*.
SNAPET served 151 residents in January 2010 558 more were on a waiting list.
*SNAPET
Then my worker suggested I enter the GED program through the Adult
Learning Center.
They had to drag me into job readiness and job search.
After I was charged with domestic violence, my probation officer
referred me to Fathers in Training.
At the second or third meeting, I started feeling accepted as a
man and a dad.
I learned it's okay to talk about love, hugs and tears. I learned about
respect and anger management.Each FIT class graduates 30-40 dads.
We have been foster parents for five years. We have fostered six children
long-term and served as a short-term emergency placement
for many others.
Average 285 children in Foster Care
Fostering is the perfect fit for us. It is personally very rewarding and
fulfilling.To see a child that we have nurtured
change in a positive way is like watching a flower blossom.
This is our life work and one of the most worthwhile things we have ever
done.
Bernie’s Story
PATH* - Outreach for 82 homeless individuals per month
*Projects in Assistance for Transition from Homelessness
As a severely depressed alcoholic, Bernie lived on the
railroad tracks for five or six years and panhandled along Virginia
Beach Boulevard.
He had terrible cancer on his nose.
His recovery began when a localphysician volunteered to treat him.
He struggled for over a year and returned to the street several times. After his friend, Buddy,
passed away from cirrhosis of the liver, Bernie decided he was ready.
He completed the substance abuse programs and has
been sober for 3-4 years. Now he reaches out to other homeless
individuals and shares his story.
“I did it. You can too.”
Beach House supports an average of 90 people/day or 200/month
After living on the streets, Duncan made the decision to get
clean and sober.
He has gone through substance abuse programs
and now resides in a recovery house.
Bernie and Duncan also contribute by speaking at
AA meetings and other community events.
They hope others will see them giving back and understand why we need to respect and
take care of one another.
Our goal is to live a life like yours.
We are individuals with developmental and intellectual
disabilities.
Case Management coordinates services for 685 individuals.
Virginia Beach is our community for a lifetime.
We work, play, volunteer and strive to be productive and
contributing members of the community.
Max lives independently. He works hard at Pizza Hut so he can
pay his bills.
He participates in the Supportive Living Program and now lives with a
roommate.
He volunteers at a nursing home and is actively involved in Special
Olympics.
Jerry entered the Supportive Living Program after his mother
passed away.
He now resides with his wife in a senior apartment complex and
continues to receive Case Management Services.
Jerry completed the Virginia Beach Senior Citizens Police Academy training and takes great pride in
helping others.
At 3, we were told he would be severely disabled. He would never
be able to care for himself.
Our son was born with no chance of survival, it was a miracle
he took a breath.
We took him home to die, but with love and miracles he lived.
Now, at 25-years-old, Paul enjoys staying busy.
He works at three jobs, is active in his church and participates in
Special Olympics.
203 individuals employed through Community Employment Options Program
Carol was born in VA in 1958.
In 1964, when she was only 5 years old, she was sent to live
in an institution, Central VA Training Center.
After 32 years in an institution, she has been living successfully in the
community for 14 years!
She enjoys going out to eat. She attends parties and the SkillQuest day
program.
She loves to dance and volunteers at a local library.
As a child I was treated unkindly and told I was worthless.
I first attempted suicide at age 13.
39 people committed suicide in Virginia Beach in 2008
As an adult, I married, and for 19 years, lived with emotional abuse and
physical and sexual violence.
I took my vows seriously and believed “till death do us part”.
My family never knew.
I was paralyzed on my left side. I thought I was having a stroke. The
hospital could find nothing physically wrong and referred me to Emergency
Services in the MHSA division.
I was not diagnosed as having a mental illness until I was 38 years old.
Emergency Services (24 hours) receives 600 requests for assistance per month.
I have participated in the trauma group, MESA (Mutual Education
Support and Advocacy) classes, the medication management
program and have received psychiatric treatment.
It took me seven years to get well.
I came out of that dark hole and want to help others.
TodayAdriane is a
Wellness Recovery Action Plan Facilitator
I blamed myself.
A car accident left me with a brain injury. Then something terrible
happened and I had to leave Texas with my 6-year-old daughter.
I turned to alcohol for comfort.
When we came to Virginia Beach we were homeless and my daughter
needed help.
Child and Youth Services helped her cope with her feelings and what had
happened.
She developed socialization and communication skills, and began to
progress in school.
I received medication and case management services along with
therapeutic services.
We both participated in the Project Link Program.
Thanks to the services provided by the Department of Human Services and to support groups for people
with brain injuries, I am now a recovering alcoholic.
I am a 33-year-old man who started to use drugs when I was 15.
Until recently, my life was defined by my habit.
My habit was out of control. I was breaking the law to support a $300
a day heroin addiction.
My probation officer referred me to the City of Virginia Beach’s outpatient day
program.
For me, recovery was a full-time job.
At Magic Hollow, I gained many "tools" to succeed.
I still use them today.
Part of my recovery has been to “pay it forward."
Sometimes, it is as simple as sharing my story, and I appreciate
the opportunity to do so.
I've been in recovery for about 5 years.
I got married.
I have a steady job.
I buried both my parents.
I secured my first mortgage.
I earned my bachelor's degree.
All these circumstances, in the past, could and would have
caused me to use (heroin). But through God's grace and the
lessons learned, I am substance-free.