Meet Ted & Rusty

Imagine you’re in a nursing home. Your body is in pain because of a foot injury and you can’t walk.
You must walk again, but physical therapy is excruciating. And there’s a deadline. If you don’t get out of the nursing home by a set date, you will lose your section 8 housing. You will be homeless again.

As if this situation weren’t challenging enough — imagine that you are also dealing with dementia. Sometimes you understand there’s a deadline. Sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you’re not sure what day it is or how long you’ve been away.

Injured, unable to go home — the deadline to keep your housing is looming. Now imagine picking up the phone, and hearing this …

“We miss you. We want you to come home. Keep working hard.”

What kind of difference do you think it would make to get that phone call? What if you got that phone call several times a week from different people who cared about you?

For one resident named Ted, phone calls like this made it possible for him to keep his housing.

After surgery on his foot, Ted experienced complications. With Section 8, you cannot be out of your house for more than 90-days, even if you’re sick. The clock was ticking, but Clare Housing staff members stepped up.

“The Residents Assistants called him to check-in,” shared Bryan Bick, supportive services manager. “Ted is a regular at the front desk, and staff members know him well. The phone calls kept him on track. He reached the level needed to leave in just the nick of time. He only had a day or two to go.”

Coming home meant a reunion with Rusty, Ted’s cat, who staff had cared for.

“While Ted was away our lead resident assistant Joe organized the support his cat needed. When it became clear he would be gone for a long time, Joe even found a family to foster Rusty.”

“When Ted came home, Rusty was thrilled. It was great to be able to reunite them.”

There are others like Ted who need your help. When you join Clare Housing as a supporter, you make positive stories like this possible. Make a donation today.