On December 21st, Jim, 88, came to the centre looking for help. He was a homeless Korean War veteran with a physical disability and had difficulties controlling his temper.
Jim was turned away from several community support organizations because of his temper from post-traumatic stress disorder and other serious mental health issues. We offered Jim coffee and gave him some time to relax in our office.
While he relaxed, our team worked to find financial services for him. After doing research, we found Veterans Emergency Transition Services (VETS). The agency provides temporary aid to homeless veterans.
At first, Jim refused to accept our assistance. However, we convinced Jim to sign a consent form so that we could advocate on his behalf. We coordinated with VETS and received funding for Jim to stay at a motel while permanent accommodations were found. We also worked with VETS to get him grocery gift cards and a volunteer to take him grocery shopping.
With help from VETS, we assisted Jim in moving to a long-term care facility were all of his needs were able to be met.