DVCC Program Showcase: TL Program 2020

Show Case Program: TL Program 

Domestic Violence Crisis Center (DVCC), is home to the New Beginnings Campus. On our campus we have eight transitional living (TL) single family apartments that are income based for survivors and their children. This program is unique as it allows for survivors to begin their new lives by working with a case manager to set goals, grow their sense of self, and well-being until permanent housing comes available. Some survivors only stay a few months and others up to twenty-three months. During their time in our transitional living program, survivors also have access to our advocates, support groups, the Helping Hands Room, therapy, and referral services. DVCC provides these services for survivors and their children at no cost to them.  Supporters like you make this possible. 

This past year our TL program has undergone a transition of its own as we have seen a shift in our case management team.  Our certified advocate Erin has taken over the role as the TL Case Manager. She says her “…biggest challenges since taking over the program have been trying to fiddle with it to make it my own. Each program manager has put their own little twist and preference on the program to make it their own, so I am trying to find something that works for me.” Making something your own whether you are a survivor or an advocate is critical to success and pivotal to the TL program as a whole. She says her “biggest success [so far] is the smooth transition into the position, being able to come in and mesh with all the office staff and clients without the initial awkwardness that usually comes with a new job”. Small successes are the catalyst of change and growth. Recently Erin upgraded one apartment with new paint and new laminate flooring. Upgrades like these have been an ongoing project for DVCC’s TL program this year. Volunteers, grant and donor funding, and a little elbow grease have made these major upgrades possible. Now that this apartment is completed, Erin hopes to grow her relationships with her clients and focus on their short and long term goals in a person centered case management approach. To put it simply, she offers guidance based on what the survivor identifies as their priorities and focuses for their growth whether that be sustainable employment, healing, education, safety, or permanent housing as this program’s focus is on their personal growth and gaining independence. “My favorite part of my job is being witness to the personal growth of the client. Sometimes they come to us with nothing and through working the program, they leave with a different sense of independence and life skills. Seeing where they start and seeing how far they come through all the obstacles they have had makes this job so worthwhile.”