What a Day....

Well today was my first official day of meeting with clients. I thought that my two weeks of training had me feeling pretty good about meeting with clients...ya totally not true. I was so overwhelmed today it wasn't even funny. I only meet with a handful of clients and my head was spinning. Partially because I have to remember so many things for just one client!! I don't even know how to begin to explain why it is so overwhelming.
The first client that I saw is pregnant and also has a 3yr old son. When she has her second baby she has no where for her 3yr old to stay...so her only option is Respite Care. I still know very little about this organization but in a nutshell they take care of people for short periods of time when there's no one else too. SO I had to assist her as she contacted Respite and discussed all the options with her. I then had to do my first service plan with her and of course I couldn't remember how to do it on the computer. I then just did it on paper and pretended my computer wasn't working so that she would know that I just didn't know what I was doing.
I'm very sensitive to my clients knowing how little I really know! Mainly because if I establish early on with them that I don't know what's going on they can use that to their advantage or continue to think I don't know anything after I do learn everything...
I also had to remember to get paperwork from this woman, make copies of it and get it back to her.

I said "hello (name) to my second client and she looked at me and said "how do you know me?!?!" looking very paranoid and uneasy. I explained to her that I have seen her around and read information about her...I could tell right off the bat she's not mentally stable. This woman is new to the shelter and very overwhelmed. She has 4 children and absolutely nothing. She doesn't understand anything about Public Assistance, Public Housing...nothing! I explained basics to her but didn't even begin to tell her everything that I needed to. I had to refer her to counseling services because she came across so fragile. I also had to address that all of her children are sick, there are rats in her room, she doesn't have an open public assistance case, and I had to gather numerous other resources for her. I then had to do photocopying etc for her as well.

My 3rd client came to me and wanted information about employment. I am still very much in the learning stages about all the employment options so I had to fudge a lot with this. I went through what I knew but it was frustrating that I had to tell her so many times "I'll get back to you". After she left I then had to continue to talk to different people and gather resources for her...I told her I'd have all of it in her mailbox by 5 today and that didn't happen.

Next I had a woman come in that again didn't have a clue what was going on and felt very lost. She has a teenage daughter with her and two younger children.
One thing I should explain first is that when clients come to the shelter they are either deemed "conditional" or "eligible". I won't go deep into this but conditional clients come here from New York's housing authority and New York hasn't actually decided if they are really homeless. The client gives the housing authority information and they have to check it all out before they decide the person really has no where to go, or that they do actually have somewhere they could be staying. Eligible means they don't have anywhere to stay and they are allowed to stay at the shelter. If they come to the shelter conditional and the housing authority decides they do have somewhere they could stay they are immediately take from the shelter...kind of a crazy system.
So anyways....this woman didn't understand whether she was conditional or eligible. I have no way of knowing either and have to call certain people to find out. Well I call those certain people and they tell me "yes, she is eligible", so I go through tons of information with her explaining the system at the shelter ya da ya da ya da...then I go downstairs and tell the front desk that she doesn't have everything she needs since she is eligible and they said...opps there was a mistake she is not eligible, she's still conditional! I didn't have the energy to track down this woman and tell her everything I just told her, she doesn't actually get yet...so i left this alone and will deal with it tomorrow.

Another client I have dealt with quite a bit is Russian and the HARDEST person to understand. I only talk to her on the phone because she works when I am at the office. I spoke to this woman for god knows how long trying to explain issues she is having currently and I seem to be unsuccessful. It has been suggested to me to use an interpreter but I don't even want to tell you the effort it will take to get one....

I also meet with another woman today that doesn't have enough motivation and I am very cautious with her because I think she's sneaky. I sat with her for at least a half hour hearing about a job that she was going to refuse to work because they wanted her to work weekends and she has kids and no one can watch them on the weekends....

I also had staff come and tell me I had a new client come in today with NO clothes (she came from the hospital and had sheets on) and she needed food. This woman literally has nothing. She is pregnant and due any day now. SHe was staying with her mother who was abusing her so she was sent to use with absolutely nothing. So then i'm running around trying to figure out how to get this girl some food....

Did I mention that all of this happened between 1pm and 5pm today! Normally I'll see more than just this number of clients...and I have tons of paperwork I have to do on top of all of this!
Now I realize no one may really care what I did all day today but it helped me de-stress a little to write about all the craziness of the day and all the things I have to remember to do tomorrow!!

This week is going to feel psychotic anyways. I normally would have class tonight and Thursday. St John's decided they don't want to start classes until Wednesday though, so I have to have my MONDAY classes on WEDNESDAY and then I still have my Thursday classes. And keep in mind I'm flying out straight after work on Friday to go home, man the madness...

Okay, I'm going to go sit and do nothing for a minute...and then go to the gym and work out some of the stress!!
Sar