"It's kind of shocking to hear the things survivors have been through to get here. They deserve something good,” explains Jackson, Transitional Housing Case Manager and one-half of a very unique and impactful team at One SAFE Place. “We are making significant progress,” Rachel, the Housing Program Manager, adds after chuckling at Jackson's comment. “Through this program, we are trying to do something great for them. We’re getting close to being fully open.”
“We are on the cusp of greatness," Jackson smirks. "We’re cuspers!”
The One SAFE Place Transitional Housing Program is not a new concept for this two-person team comprised of Jackson and Rachel. However, acquiring and furnishing a multi-unit complex to provide up to a year of stability for clients is new. This project is years in the making and has taken hundreds of hours of planning, a labor of love for both Rachel and Jackson. Rachel and Jackson arrange the furniture in one of the new transitional housing units. The One SAFE Place Transitional Housing Program provides temporary housing with supportive services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness due to domestic violence, sexual assault, and/or human trafficking, with the goal of interim stability and support to successfully move into and maintain permanent housing.
"After leaving an abusive home, the hoops I’ve seen (and helped) our clients jump through to get even the smallest amount of help are huge and feel impossible with everything they have gone through. When your whole world has come crashing down, being able to manage normal day-to-day tasks can feel overwhelming," explains Rachel, who has been helping clients at One SAFE Place for over five years."
"Imagine having to figure out where you/your kids are going to sleep after leaving your home that is not safe or a shelter, maybe while trying to get a restraining order against someone you probably still love, finding a job, applying for cash or food assistance, enrolling your kids in school, or transferring them to another for safety; the list goes on." Rachel believes that to best support clients with rebuilding their lives after experiencing significant trauma, she and Jackson should empower individuals and families to achieve lifelong stability and foster independence through individualized case management, supportive services, and trauma informed care by providing services that are tailored to the person and/or family served.
"Having a stable, safe environment longer term with solid support based on your personal needs is significant for long-term healing and can mean the difference between someone going back to an abusive situation or finding themselves again (or for the first time) and thriving." Creating that foundation of stability allows Rachel and Jackson to teach skills to their clients that provide lifelong benefits, such as offering financial management support, using a budget book, or offering tips on tracking spending.
Rachel and Jackson's guidance extends to practical aspects of daily life, such as being a good tenant, planning for budget-friendly shopping/meals, and accessing critical documents like Social Security cards, birth certificates, and driver’s licenses. They engage in role-playing exercises and offer advice (when asked) on answering questions during job interviews as well as assisting clients in selecting appropriate workplace attire. Additionally, clients are connected with external resources for job readiness and employment opportunities, and may be offered housing-related resources on researching tenant and survivor rights, if applicable. They provide strategies for establishing and maintaining personal and professional boundaries, recognizing that these skills are continually evolving.
Overall, Rachel and Jackson adapt to unique situations and navigate them alongside their clients. “Sometimes, it’s just teaching the basic things like balancing a checkbook. Things that clients never had to do before because their partner handled it,” adds Jackson. “Understanding that was great for my own personal development. I had to learn how to balance a checkbook so I could teach others!”
