Seeking Independence

   Jamie is a single mother with two children who resides in Phoenixville, Chester County. Her son is two and a half years old and her eight-year-old daughter attends a local elementary school. Jamie is working toward her dream of one day being able to provide a better life for her family.
   This may sound like a typical welfare-to-work mother, but the road to where Jamie is today has had many twists and turns. When Jamie became an Open Hearth Goal Achievement Program (GAP) participant, she had already come far on her journey. You see, Jamie was in a near fatal car accident, along with her daughter and unborn son. When the accident occurred, she had been recently separated from her husband, attending college, and eight months pregnant. Although Jamie is unable to recall the details of the accident, she remembers that it was an uneventful day in which she took her daughter and a neighbor to run an errand. Jamie and her daughter sustained brain injuries, which caused them both to become comatose. Jamie still has no memory of the cesarean section, which saved her son's life.
   Jamie was admitted to Brandywine Trauma Center and her daughter was taken to Children's Hospital. When Jamie was moved to another hospital to start her rehabilitation, her son had to remain at Brandywine. Although much of that time is a blur, Jamie remembers being very upset that she and her children were all separated. A local couple that knew Jamie opened their home to her family. They stayed with the couple for three weeks while Jamie went back and forth for rehabilitation three times a week. As with all brain-injured patients, her rehabilitation was very personalized. The doctors were unsure of how long it would take for Jamie to recover and what kind of results to expect.
   Looking back, Jamie cannot believe that she moved back home and was able to care for her children. With the help of a program through her church, she and her daughter received dinner for five weeks. She was able to manage the other meals. Jamie was determined to return to college, where she was a junior majoring in English/Secondary Education. With the help of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR), Jamie started back to school taking two courses. Because she could no longer drive, she was introduced to the Para Transit system.
   Even before the accident, the family struggled to make ends meet. Because she was separated from her husband, Jamie and her daughter lived in a house they could not afford. Her head injury made it very difficult to focus and stay organized. When Open Hearth became involved with the family, their house was up for sheriff sale in a matter of days. Unfortunately, the house could not be saved and Jamie was faced with homelessness. Open Hearth contacted a local shelter and they were willing to provide a room for Jamie's family. With our assistance, Jamie found an apartment that was close to her old neighborhood and in the same school district. The rent subsides that GAP provides made it possible for her to move without having to stay at the shelter.
   Like the individualized care Jamie received from the medical field, Open Hearth's Goal Achievement Program (GAP) was tailored to fit Jamie's needs. Obviously, her immediate need was affordable housing. Once secured, Jamie set other goals. She wanted to continue pursuing her dream of becoming an English teacher. Although most GAP participants' immediate goal is to secure earned income, Open Hearth decided to support Jamie's dream. One of the most important components of GAP is financial planning with the participant to ensure that they will be able to manage their rent and other expenses once they have completed the program. In Jamie's case, we knew that she would need to have long-term supports in place, as she would not be able to support her family without them. Jamie applied for Social Security Disability and was recently awarded benefits. She also applied for long-term rental subsidies through the Housing Authority's Section 8 Program.
   Open Hearth worked with the Housing Authority of the County of Chester on a proposal to the office of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provided long-term rental assistance to people with disabilities. After two years of our work, the Housing Authority was awarded 100 Section 8 vouchers. Recently, Jamie's name came up on the long waiting list of people who need this assistance. Open Hearth arranged with the Housing Authority and Jamie's landlord to accept the apartment in which she currently lives.
   With your support, Open Hearth has been able to bridge the gap from homelessness to safe and affordable housing for many families. Working together, we are all able to assist Jamie in reaching her ultimate goal - independence.