Tom visited one of our local Emergency Assistance Centers. He was interested in acquiring case management. He wanted to work on his financial skills and to find a place to live. At that time he was staying at an area shelter. During his first session, his goals and how Catholic Charities might help were discussed. During his next visit, Tom started a Money Smart module and he was so interested that he wanted to continue. He completed two courses that week and came back for more the next week. As his case management continued they focused on budgeting skills and he was asked to keep his receipts so his spending habits could be discussed.
During this time Tom and the case manager worked on finding housing, applying for subsidized housing and getting his health in check. To make a long story short, through a little bit of encouragement from Catholic Charities, and a lot of self-determination, Tom is now stably housed, staying within his monthly budget, and he has a regular three day a week workout routine at a local community health center. Congrats, Tom!#hopestory