Case Managers are essential to Father Joe’s Villages’ mission to end homelessness. Find out how they help clients find their way home.
Guest Blog Post by Lauri Bronzellino, M.S. Psych, Transitional Housing Program Manager
Mental health. Trauma. Substance abuse. Physical health. Job loss or little to no employment history. Estranged by family. Criminal record, etc. These are a few of the common things that most people think of when they think of the homeless population. What does someone do or where does someone go when they are trying to overcome one or two or sometimes all of these barriers to stability and self-sufficiency?
Luckily, for the San Diego community, Father Joe’s Villages is a beacon of light and hope for the 9100 homeless men, women, children, Veterans, seniors and people with disabilities who sleep on our streets every night.
The focal points of our Transitional Housing Program are our three Case Management teams: Veterans Team (which works with 70 Veterans); Singles Team (which works specifically with 38 Clients who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS); Families Team (which works with up to 40 families comprising of single parents, couples and children from infants to 18 years).
The goal of a Case Manager working with any client in our program is to ascertain what potential barriers might be for that individual and then build with them from the ground up in order to help that individual attain not only their personal goals, but the ultimate goals of sustainable income and permanent housing, in order to help end homelessness one life at a time.
The Case Manager becomes a client’s main point of contact while in the Transitional Housing Program, and is their guide to resources, their coach and cheerleader, all wrapped up into one. For many clients, their Case Manager becomes the very springboard that they needed to help get their life back on track.
So how does a Case Manager do this? Patience, passion, compassion, respect, empathy, empowerment, dignity, motivational interviewing, a wealth of knowledge about the resources available not only here at the Village (including medical, mental health, substance abuse counseling, Chaplaincy, housing interventions, our employment and education services and more) but all over San Diego County. They need to be able to help any person sitting in front of them feel valued and hopeful with each and every small success along the way.
Our Case Managers in the Transitional Housing Program are able to feel pride and gratitude, taking solace in the fact that they are able to be a positive influence and change lives every day; knowing that one more person was able to attain their own housing—probably for the first time in over a decade for many—and now no longer has to live on the streets.
About Lauri Bronzellino, M.S. Psych, Transitional Housing Program Manager
Lauri Bronzellino has been working with the adolescent population since 2001 after being Honorably Discharged from the Marine Corps. Earning her Bachelors and Master’s degree in Psychology, she has worked in the mental health field since 2009, working primarily with adolescents and transitional aged youth in both residential and special education school programs. In 2016, Lauri switched her focus from working as a Case Manager with homeless single adults, including those with HIV/AIDS and Veterans, to working as the Program Manager of the Transitional Housing Case Management Teams.
Interested in becoming a Case Manager for Father Joe’s Villages?
We’re always looking for compassionate individuals to join our team! You can apply today on our careers portal.
