With Reconciliation Services
Alexis Martin | Reconciliation Services Social Services Manager
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. 1 in 5 Americans experience mental illness in a given year. United Way Impact 100 partner Reconciliation Services sees up to 100 individuals a week through its case management program, which takes a holistic approach to addressing an individual’s immediate needs for things like food and housing, while also providing trauma informed care and mapping out a long-term path to self-sufficiency. Social services manager Alexis Martin shares her experience of helping them on their path to healing and resilience.
A day-to-day survival mode. The mental health impact of living in a chronic cycle of poverty is severe.
That’s what we see with so many of the individuals who walk through our doors. We are not only going to take a deeper dive and figure out the root cause, but also that day-to-day kind of structure to their life, trying to get their lives stable enough so they can become self-sufficient. We want to help them understand what coping skills look like, and peel away the layers of what they’re dealing with.
Within 24 hours of meeting a client, we really work in all areas to cover what their immediate needs are, which starts with housing or shelter, clothing, and food. Many times these individuals have had doors close in their face. They’ve been told, ‘No.’ So we want to eliminate barriers, empathize with their situation, and help them move past some of the challenges they’ve experienced.
Often they’re resistant because they’ve never opened up and talked about these things. And we have to push past their own lived experiences and struggles of them asking, ‘What makes you different? Why should I trust that you can help me?’
I have not witnessed another agency do the things that we do simultaneously with our emergency supportive services, alongside case management and therapy, all working under one roof. And because of that, we’re able to be on the frontline to see the fruits of our labor, know it doesn’t take long for you to be reimbursed with a smile because of the work that you do. And so that really keeps coming and keeps me coming back again. If I can see the difference in one person, I can see the difference in the family, and I can see the difference in the community.
One client who walked through, as we started to talk, we really uncovered he had a lot of trauma from his past incarceration. As we started to unpack that, we realized there were some things that were making it hard for him to keep a job. So we really did a lot of life-coaching to achieve self-sufficiency. He was ultimately able to get a job at Ford with full benefits. He still comes back and volunteers in our kitchen because of how meaningful it was to his journey.
Everyone here has a heart for the community, such a big heart that it can really tap their ability to take care of themselves. And so that is the biggest struggle because we all live in the community or close by the community. So these are our everyday neighbors. We come here every day and pour out our heart and sometimes our cup runs empty. So we also have to be self-aware, take advantage of the resources offered here like our Employee Assistance Program, and paid time off, because we can’t care for others if we aren’t taking care of ourselves.
To anyone who is struggling, I encourage you to take a leap of faith and meet us here at Reconciliation Services. We have a team of people waiting to meet you and wanting to support you in making a difference in your life.
Many times we feel that options are few, but in reality we just haven’t met the right person to open another door. Our services are that “other door,” and once you walk through you won’t regret it. From case management to therapy services we are aiming to help you reveal your strength and come out of any dark place you may find yourself in.
