This is Melissa’s story.
“When I opened with Melissa for Adult Behavioral Health Home Care Coordination services, she was on her way to losing her apartment and becoming homeless and there was nothing I could do about it.” Care Coordinator, Celia Wright, reflects, “Within one month of opening, she lost her apartment, became homeless, and learned that her daughter who had both physical and cognitive impairments, also became homeless.”
Celia helped Melissa access help from additional community partners. Because Melissa is a veteran, Preble Street was able to connect her with veteran services. Preble Street was also able to secure emergency services and an apartment for Melissa’s daughter, but Melissa was not allowed to stay there. She continued to meet with her Spurwink Affiliate Outpatient Clinician, Cecilia, and accessed funds through general assistance. Finally, she was able to get an apartment at Florence House. “During this time, I witnessed Melissa struggle while facing her mental health and trauma, becoming aware of it, and processing it in therapy,” Celia shared. Shortly after, Melissa was admitted to Maine Medical Center for psychiatric hospitalization and ultimately to Togas Medical Center at the VA.
As we all know, following the best path in life is not always easy. “Melissa was spending much of her time at her daughter’s apartment, which led to her losing her spot at Florence House, and ultimately her daughter losing her apartment. Life gets messy.” With further VA support, Melissa was connected to the VA shelter and Bread of Life. During her stay, she continued Spurwink Outpatient Therapy and Care Coordination services, and her daughter moved out West to stay with other family. Melissa voiced determination to use this opportunity to get back on her feet.
Even during this truly turbulent time in her life, Celia applauds Melissa, “Through her resilience and determination to make a better life for herself, she continued to do the work in therapy, making her accomplishments today nothing short of amazing. Melissa found herself through this process.”
Some time passed, and Celia met with Melissa in her newly leased apartment. Celia reflects, “Melissa expressed that she’s looking forward to the future through the lens of a ‘different’ person. She voiced gratitude for all the support she had along the way, and she can finally say she is proud of herself for coming such a long way in such a short amount of time.”
When we begin our journey to better health, we expect a resolution of what we are trying to overcome. A powerful takeaway from stories like Melissa’s is that in many cases, the real “resolution” is having a plan for moving forward when we encounter challenges along the way. This is where you will find Spurwink. We go the distance — walking every step of the way with individuals we are proud to serve. We move forward, together, on a path to healthy, engaged lives in our communities.
As Celia shared, “Melissa’s story runs deep into her childhood. My time with Melissa has been going on for only one year and we are already talking about a successful, planful discharge. Because she has income now, she may lose her insurance and services, and at the same time, she voiced, she is ready for another set of supports and whatever that may bring.”
We — Spurwink — are ready to keep walking alongside Melissa as long as she’d like us to. There may be some bumps ahead, but we are ready to brace them with her.
A special thank you to Care Coordinator Celia Wright and of course, Melissa, for graciously sharing their story with us.
This story was originally told in a four-part series through social media. If you would like to view the individual posts, containing additional commentary and any public commentary, please visit the links below.
