WGA is proud to support the Sulzbacher Village with a $50,000 grant to support women and their families experiencing homelessness. This is a story about Pam, a Sulzbacher client. Pam worked as a teller in a bank in New England when, during a robbery, she was held hostage for hours with a gun to her head.
She suffered a nervous breakdown and was placed into a state hospital. When released, she was released with no support system and soon found herself on the street, homeless. She made her way to Florida and for 13 years Pam lived in the parking lot of a nearby television station. Repeated attempts to get her into shelter were unsuccessful until one day, while standing in the community food line waiting for a meal, the Sulzbacher outreach team coaxed her in. Once in shelter, she got the attention she needed including the mental health evaluation and counseling that provided her with the psychotropic medications she needed to balance her mental state.
After working with her case manager to address the issues that have kept her homeless, including getting her first haircut in 13 years, Pam has now moved into her own apartment at the Sulzbacher Village and is a client in the Sulzbacher Aftercare program where case managers make certain she has food, take her to her medical appointments and, most importantly, provide her companionship and emotional support. And, Pam has now been reconnected with her family who have been searching for her for 13 years.
Pam’s remarkable recovery began with a meal. She is an example of so many people who have taken advantage of multiple Sulzbacher’s programs. She came onto campus because she was hungry, where she got her meals at no cost. (Community Meals) She came into the shelter from living on the street where she was assigned a case manager who helped her address all of her issues and build a Pathway out of homelessness. (Case Management)(Medical) And, she is participating in long-term Aftercare case management to prevent a return to homelessness.