TJ
TJ came to us unsure of what his future would look like. Like many veterans, he had resigned himself to the belief that the BEST and most realistic opportunity for his family was to increase his use of various benefit programs offered through the State or Federal government. He was acutely aware that earned income would reduce these benefits and therefore increase his expenses. TJ had a significant gap in employment and had become accustomed to spending his days in his apartment.
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“If I go to work, our rent goes up, our electricity goes up and any extra income would go to pay for those increases, why would I want to do that?” - TJ
During that time, his dependence on substance use grew. Funding this dependence cut into the public assistance he received and could no longer cover his family’s basic monthly expenses. This is a far too common scenario.
When we met with TJ, we walked through our process for any person seeking financial assistance or support. We constructed a household budget that identified an income that would cover expenses and honed in on the “discrepancy” or amount income still needed to cover expenses. It quickly became apparent to TJ that his increased substance use was impairing his ability to pay the bills. With his consent, we introduced him to various outpatient support groups and continued to meet with him, in person, to create goals and reinforce a sense of empowerment and accountability. TJ’s spouse was very interested in returning to work and wanted to build a career in the medical field. We worked local state contacts and were able to enroll her in Medical Assistant training.
When we met with TJ, we walked through our process for any person seeking financial assistance or support. We constructed a household budget that identified an income that would cover expenses and honed in on the “discrepancy” or amount income still needed to cover expenses. It quickly became apparent to TJ that his increased substance use was impairing his ability to pay the bills. With his consent, we introduced him to various outpatient support groups and continued to meet with him, in person, to create goals and reinforce a sense of empowerment and accountability. TJ’s spouse was very interested in returning to work and wanted to build a career in the medical field. We worked local state contacts and were able to enroll her in Medical Assistant training.
"The entire family has worked hard, faced many challenges in the start of this journey, but have realized a promising future. We are proud of their efforts and feel privileged to be a part of their journey." -Adam, Director of Veteran Services
We worked with TJ to answer the following questions: What expenses do you have that contribute least to the life you want to live? How much do you need to make to justify returning to work and rely less on public assistance? What hours can I work and still cover childcare duties for your daughter? How will the choices you make today change your life in one year? In five years? How can you make these choices and still have time to stay connected to your family? What is preventing you from making these choices?
While these questions are not easily answered and it takes work to achieve results, we were there every step of the way with TJ and his family and happy to say that TJ and his wife have both earned and maintained employment throughout COVID-19, they have a savings account, recently purchased a car and are looking for a new apartment in a new neighborhood. "The entire family has worked hard, faced many challenges in the start of this journey, but have realized a promising future. We are proud of their efforts and feel privileged to be a part of their journey."
