Case of the Month - January 2012

(January 2012)
I first met Jane* about a year ago when she had contacted Three Rivers to apply for Transitional Housing. Jane has a long history of alcohol abuse and on several occasions sought help with her addiction through in-patient treatment, neither of which were a success.
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Case of the Month - November 2011

(November 2011)
In 2010, Client had heart surgery and then lost his job due to complications from the surgery. He had never received assistance before and applied for Energy Assistance.
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Case of the Month - October 2011

(October 2011)
This family has had several children in Head Start over the past few years. Several generations live in the same household and all take responsibility for teaching the children.
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Case of the Month - September 2011

(September 2011)
In April of 2010, I started working with “Bob” who is a caregiver for his sister who has schizophrenia. Bob was overwhelmed by his responsibility of caring for his sister who was trying to find services that could help her succeed to live independently both financially and emotionally.
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Case of the Month - May 2011

(May 2011)
This begins with a case of high CO levels thought to be caused by a defective LP range. As is normally the case, it was 4:00 PM on a Friday. The house had a woman and a two month old baby living there. Their room heater, the only heat in the house, wasn’t working and they were using the kitchen range for heat...
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Case of the Month - March 2011

(March 2011)
STORY ONE
Last February, Margaret called in a panic. “My water main broke and I’ve had to turn off the water. I don’t know what to do.” Margaret is 86, lives in a small town and has always been independent. She has lived in her home since she was 14 -72 years! But this problem was different...
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Case of the Month - February 2011

(February 2011)
“Brenda” is a single mother of three children who had to flee her home and familiar surroundings due to domestic abuse issues. Brenda is an educated woman with some post secondary education and had a successful career but that all came to an end last April when the father of her youngest child began threatening Brenda’s life when she tried to end the relationship.
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Case of the Month - November 2010

(November 2010)
We had a family we had served one of my first years here and then had them back two years ago with another child. The second year we had them there had been a change in staff, and the mom had a hard time adjusting. Because she remembered me from the prior years she was comfortable communicating with me. With this family there was a problem with a constant way to communicate, as she had problems keeping a working phone.
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Case of the Month - September 2010

(September 2010)
Client was referred to Three Rivers Community Action, Inc. by hospital social worker at the time of client’s discharge. Client was in hospital for the delivery of her first child however, complications occurred which resulted in the splitting of her pelvic bone. After numerous weeks of recovery in the hospital the client was non-ambulatory and wheelchair bound at the time of discharge. The doctor’s prognosis was at least six months for the client to be ambulatory and another three months until she could return to her job as a Certified Nursing Assistant.

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Case of the Month - June 2010

(June 2010)
John (42) & Kris (39) applied for Energy Assistance in October 2009. John lost his job and has been collecting Unemployment ($438 per week) and Kris has a disability and only receives Social Security ($744 per month). When figuring their 3 month income:
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Case of the Month - April 2010

(April 2010)
Guadalupe is a 64 year old Hispanic woman who lives in subsidized housing in Rice County with multiple health issues due to obesity. In fall of 2009, the Senior Program Coordinator (SPC) organized a family meeting with Guadalupe, her sister Maria, a Spanish interpreter, and a Registered Dietician. The RD assessed Guadalupe’s eating habits and mobility issues and identified that she was eating all the wrong foods which led to her unstable blood sugars.
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Case of the Month - March 2010

(March 2010)
On November 11, 2009 “Sally” was seen by our dental hygienist for a routine dental screening. It was discovered at that time that “Sally” had cavities and needed to be seen by a dentist for treatment. After discussing this with “Sally’s” teacher I learned that “Sally” was uninsured and undocumented. Because “Sally” was undocumented she was not eligible for Medical Assistance.
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Case of the Month - November 2009

(November 2009)
For ten years after immigrating to Rochester, MN from Somalia, _____ had relied solely on rental options to house her family. She has eight children ranging in age from five to 24. Ms. _____ has always instilled the values of education and hard as keys to success for her children. She is very proud to report they have excelled in those areas and are quickly becoming successful young adults.
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Case of the Month - October 2009

(October 2009)
The Rice County Homeless Response Team recently planned and hosted the Living on Little event which took place on September 24, 2009. The team wanted to reach out to those in need and struggling because of the economy.
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Case of the Month - June 2009

(June 2009)
Rhoda applied for fuel assistance and weatherization to help her with her high heating bills on her rural double wide mobile home. She also called because her furnace didn’t give enough heat to heat the home even with the assistance of several electric heaters she was using for the last several years.
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Case of the Month - May 2009

(May 2009)
A family of 5 (husband, wife, 3 children 13, 10 & 3 years old) applied for the Energy Assistance Program in February. Their LP tank was down to 30%. They had paid $793 for 378 gallons of LP in October themselves, but were concerned how they were to pay for their next delivery. Their income for the months of November, December & January consisted of:
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Case of the Month - April 2009

(April 2009)
Red Wing: June is a new mother with no transportation. She initially began using Hiawathaland Public Transit while she was job searching and attending classes at the Workforce Development.
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Case of the Month - February 2009

(February 2009)
At a home visit this fall one of my students mother was visibly tired and having a hard time keeping up with life in general: Money was tight, her husband had some legal issues, she was not passing her GED test etc.
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Case of the Month - January 2009

(January 2009)
Margo (not her real name) entered our transitional housing program in late March, 2007, from an abused women’s shelter. She had been there five weeks and was anxious to leave because of the behavior problems she was having with her four year old son. Margo is the mother of four children, ages 4, 8, 9, and 10.
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