LifeSTEPS teams with CVS Long-Term Care program to vaccinate 93 LifeSTEPS residents and staff
Over the weekend, 93 LifeSTEPS residents and staff received their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Hollenbeck Terrace and Broadway Villas, two affordable housing communities with permanent supportive housing services located in Los Angeles. Three weeks ago, LifeSTEPS staff and residents received their first dose as part of the CVS Long-Term Care vaccination program. We are thrilled to report that we had a 100 percent return rate, meaning everyone who had their first vaccine returned for their second dose three weeks later!
Residents expressed their gratitude and thanks to LifeSTEPS for holding clinics steps away from their apartments. One Broadway Villas resident, who was formerly homeless and now receives LifeSTEPS Intensive Case Management with the DHS Housing for Health Program, let us know that he has COPD and autoimmune disorders, and is especially relieved to have been vaccinated. This resident, like so many others, hadn’t been able to schedule an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine through his health care provider, despite many efforts.
LifeSTEPS will continue to work with our partners to ensure that affordable housing communities are prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine and have access to the vaccine through on-site or nearby vaccination clinics. We are committed to taking care of our residents and team and supporting each other to stay healthy.
Rachel’s Story
Running Out of Time and Options
Rachel* saw her husband walking out of the property manager’s office and was immediately confused. He never visits there. Not sure what was going on, Rachel stopped her husband and asked what he was doing. He explained to her that he paid for the next month’s rent and asked for his name to be taken off the lease. He then told her that he was no longer going to pay any future rent and that he was leaving her and their two girls.
Rachel, on the brink of a panic attack, immediately went into survival mode. Up until this point, the family had been living on the husband’s income that was suddenly no more. Questions of how Rachel was going to care for her children, like being able to put food on the table every day and managing the 24/7 needs of her non-verbal autistic daughter, raced through her head. The word homeless kept popping into Rachel’s mind with images of her and her kids living in their car. It wasn’t hard for her to see the fear and sadness on the faces of her daughters.
After that conversation with her husband, each passing day did not feel hopeful, only taxing. Rachel’s next rent payment that she was now responsible for was right around the corner, and a month after her husband walked out, she was served with divorce papers. Rachel hit rock bottom. Yet, while it felt like there was no hope, not all hope was lost.
LifeSTEPS’ Director of Social Services at Rachel’s apartment community, Rebecca, worked with Rachel to apply for rental assistance through LifeSTEPS to bridge the income divide and keep a roof over the family’s heads, which thankfully came through. The moment her husband left, Rachel had been scrambling to find a new source of income, and with Rebecca’s help, Rachel was able to secure supplemental income through Medi-Cal as well as through In-Home Supportive Services where Rachel would get paid to care for her autistic daughter.
Rachel, despite feeling devastated throughout the whole situation, has tried to do what she can to provide for her family and keep them in a stable home. Rachel strives to become self-sufficient and independent as well as meet the needs of her family. Because of LifeSTEPS, and her own perseverance, Rachel went from her absolute darkest hour to now having a sustainable plan for the future where her kids can live in a safe haven and not end up on the streets. Her days were filled with hope once more knowing that she could and would do this on her own.
*name has been changed
Angela Finds Solid Ground in the After School Program
Meet 12-year-old Angela. An active participant in LifeSTEPS’ After School Program, she is known as a leader who takes the initiative to help other students after completing her homework. With a big heart, Angela also enjoys lending a hand at other LifeSTEPS events by serving food and cleaning up. But before joining the After School Program, Angela was on a difficult road. A year ago, on a day like any other, she was told that her father had died from a sudden stroke. Paralyzed from shock and grief, the loss of Angela’s father affected every aspect of her life. Her world was turned upside down.
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