Resident Case
Rebecca * was a resident in the interim housing program at the Night Ministry who participated in the OT program . She was 20 years old and had experienced homelessness for a total of 24 months at the time of the initial assessment . She was referred to the program by staff because of her intention to transition into permanent housing in the near future . Rebecca was motivated to participate , asked specific questions , shared personal experiences , including challenges and successful past strategies , and demonstrated receptiveness and motivation related to the OT program . Both prior to and after the program , data from items on the Casey Life Skills ( CLS ) ( Casey Family Programs , 2021 ) was obtained and individual goals were identified . Rebecca demonstrated significant improvements in the following areas : home / fire safety ; budgeting for needs vs . wants ; obtaining and maintaining safe and affordable housing ; importance of managing credit scores ; obtaining resources , including those related to utility payments ; importance of having renter ’ s / homeowners ' insurance ; and confidence in future success .
In addition to outcomes from the CLS , Rebecca reported that there were several aspects of the program that helped prepare her for living in her own apartment , including : action planning to meet goals , learning to read and evaluate a lease , practicing the development of a monthly budget , identifying the benefits and risks of checking one ’ s credit score , using resources for banking , obtaining a credit report , the importance of communicating with neighbors and managing conflict , becoming a part of a neighborhood or community , the relationship of mental health to sustaining housing , and health promotion benefits .
Following the program , Rebecca obtained her own apartment and credited participation in the program for her ability to succeed in this area . She stated that she feels more prepared to maintain her housing and has an overall sense of happiness and confidence with the skills and responsibilities that come with this . She also reported that she continues to set small achievable goals in multiple areas of her life , and plans to engage in action planning to achieve these goals , which include owning a car to support work , looking for apartment furniture , and excelling at and advancing within her job in order to remain financially stable . Rebecca felt that the OT program was rewarding and beneficial for her ability to obtain and maintain housing since leaving the interim housing program and is still practicing skills discussed within the groups in her daily life .
Conclusion
The six week group program at The Night Ministry focused on skills for finding and maintaining housing for YPEH . This program highlighted how OTPs can support YPEH by developing routines for the various life skills YPEH need to be successful in assuming new role responsibilities . Creating a program that identified specific life skill strategies and aligned with their individual goals allowed them time to apply this to their own unique circumstances while also benefiting from the group process . Additionally , OTPs can support YPEHs leisure exploration and social participation within the community and promote community integration and social connectedness as a way to improve quality of life and comfortability within their neighborhood . Finally , OTPs can bring a unique lens to community-based services that serve YPEH by aligning occupational goals that encompass life skills with occupation-based interventions that readily translate to obtaining housing . As funds for social services programs diminish and there is additional strain on social and community-based services , collaborative relationships with academic institutions and clinical rotations for students may result in decreased barriers to life skills programming .
References
Casey Family Programs . ( 2021 ). Casey life skills practitioners guide . Casey Family Programs .
Chicago Department of Family and Support Services . ( 2024 ). Point in Time ( PIT ) Count . https :// www . chicago . gov / city / en / depts / fss / provdrs / emerg / svcs / PITcount . html
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Powell , A . ( 2024 ). Why it ’ s so hard to end homelessness in America . The Harvard Gazette . https :// news . harvard . edu / gazette / story / 2024 / 01 / why-its-so-hard-to-end-homelessness-in-america /#:~: text = - Scholars % 2C % 20healthcare % 20 workers % 2C % 20and % 20 homeless , also % 20often % 20 underlie % 20chronic % 20homelessness
Reitz , S . M ., Scaffa , M . E ., & Dorsey , J . ( 2020 ). Occupational therapy in the promotion of health and well-being . American Journal of Occupational Therapy , 74 ( 3 ). https :// doi . org / 10.5014 / ajot . 2020.743003
Simpson , E ., Semmelhack , E ., Conniff , B ., & Faber , B . ( 2019 ). Young people ’ s experiences of homelessness and its influence on their daily routines and occupational participation . American Journal
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