Bernadette, 82, lives with a disability and mobility and ambulatory issues that require her to live at a board and care facility. Eventually, the inheritance she used to pay her rent ran out. Out of options and unable to afford the cost of her care, she fell behind on rent and received an eviction notice.
Bernadette was referred to HSH through the Emergency Centralized Response Center (ECRC). From there, the team hit the ground running, working together to find safe, stable housing for Bernadette and secure a permanent source of income for her to ensure she did not fall into homelessness.
The HSH Enriched Residential Care (ERC) team, which provides housing placements for individuals who have complex physical and behavioral health conditions, evaluated Bernadette’s medical needs and identified a stable, fully equipped alternative facility.
In the meantime, the HSH Countywide Benefits Entitlement Services Team (CBEST), a team comprised of benefits advocates, clinicians, and legal partners that helps people apply for disability income programs, advocated on her behalf to the Social Security Administration to secure the maximum supplemental disability benefits that Bernadette was entitled to but wasn’t receiving.
Within three months, the ERC and CBEST teams put a plan in motion to help Bernadette move into a new home and secure her full benefits package. Today, Bernadette is safely and stably housed in a new facility that meets all her medical needs. She is also receiving her full entitled benefits, protecting her from future housing instability.