![[Banner] ProPEOPLE.org: Helping People. Changing Lives.](propban3a1.gif)
![[Photo] Fixing a House](images/FIXHSE.JPG)
When Danielle contacted PROP, she had one month remaining in the pre-release program at Cumberland County Jail. Long past was the lifestyle and its pitfalls that landed her there, but the details of starting life anew were ovewhelming.
Danielle was going to need help finding and affording an apartment. She would need food and furniture and help paying for basic utilities. She would need to find a job.
Tracy, a PROP Social Worker, talked with Danielle nearly every day that month, helping her prioritize her needs and learning what skills and personal assets Danielle had that would help her find stable employment and housing. Tracy became Danielle’s most important link to the world beyond the prison walls as she called landlords and prospective employers, appealed to friends and associates for furniture donations, and obtained emergency food and rent assistance vouchers.
Within a week of her release, Danielle was looking forward to starting work as a Certified Nurse’s Assistant. Her immediate needs for food and shelter were covered and within six weeks, she would have an apartment to move into, donated furniture, and the resources to help her pay the security deposit and first month’s rent.
Danielle now lives independently in the community. She is proud of her new life and her biggest achievement -- regaining custody of her teenage son.
Becky, a mother of two children and pregnant with her third, came to PROP in crisis. She was a victim of domestic violence who escaped a volatile situation, leaving with nothing but her kids and the clothes on their backs.
They lived for a while in a hotel, on credit, until Becky was tracked down by her attacker and assaulted a second time. Facing a medical emergency and a high-risk pregnancy, with no resources to provide for herself and her children, Becky turned in desperation to Portland’s social service network, beginning at PROP.
Becky was obviously suffering a great deal of stress when she walked through our door at 510 Cumberland Avenue. A PROP Social Worker sat down with Becky and together they prioritized her immediate needs. Becky knew she needed to reduce her stress level immediately and find safe, affordable housing as soon as possible.
While the family selected food from PROP’s food pantry and a food voucher from our FEMA program, PROP staff got to work. PROP’s Housing Department arranged for Becky and her family to temporarily move into an apartment we manage that had just become vacant. Her social worker contacted resources that helped cover the family’s first month’s rent and security deposit.
Through Salvation Army and Goodwill Industries, they obtained donated clothing and non-food supplies for everyone in the household, including the baby, who would be born prematurely.
Becky got a list of of providers who offer child care on an affordable sliding fee. She found openings for her children at St. Elizabeths Child Care. She also found support for herself through Catholic Charities’ Birthline and My Choice program for expectant mothers.
Next Becky applied for and received subsidized housing through Portland Public Housing Authority, which allowed the family to move into a longer term rental unit.
Now that they were resting easier, Becky’s stress level dropped significantly and her pregnancy has stabalized. She is enrolled in PROP’s WIC Program, which provides her with supplemental food vouchers, nutrition education, and check-ups before and after the baby’s birth. Her family has been matched with a PROP Foster Grandparent to give them a loving older adult in their lives.
With the support and resources of a caring community behind them, Becky and her children are looking forward to a fresh start in life.
"Just over a year ago," writes Carla, "I began my recovery at York Hospital.
"My life was totally dependent on other people's opinions of me. My self-esteem was non-existent and all I could do was cry. The one feeling I was constantly aware of was that felt like a huge hole in the center of my chest.
"I remember saying to my therapist, 'Something must be terribly wrong with me. I need so much.' Even now, as I write this, I remember how desperate I felt. I felt like I was a failure and a disappointment to everyone. I questioned every thought that I had as well as everything I did and said."
Carla's story is contained in a 24-page booklet called Treatment Works, in which recovering addicts tell their own stories. The booklet was produced by a committee of treatment providers and distributed to doctors' waiting rooms all over southern Maine in hopes it will touch a chord with those who read it while awaiting an appointment.
Carla continues, "Today, I can honestly say that the empty space in my chest is gone and when a feeling begins there, I have the tools to care for myself. I am developing skills in recovery that give me choices that I never knew were available for me.
"I feel as though I have begun to break the chain of dysfunction that I so willingly accepted as normal. I am hopeful that my awareness and the changes in my attitude will be a positive example to my children who otherwise may have settled for repeating old patterns."
Go: PROP's The Women's Project
Emma, a single-parenting mother to three young children, arrived in Portland in the fall of 1999 from South Carolina. The Maine native knew the risks of starting over; without a job or housing lined up, and with cold weather on the way, she would have to get help wherever she could. But Emma was confident that this was the right move for her and her children, and she was determined to establish herself as quickly as possible.
Emma turned to PROP first and discussed her immediate needs with a social worker who helped her access the City of Portland shelter, where she and her children stayed for two weeks. During that time, she found a job and an apartment. PROP helped stock her cupboards with goods from its emergency food pantry, processed her application for fuel assistance, enrolled her two youngest children in our WIC nutrition program, and offered a food basket at Thanksgiving to make the holiday a little less stressful. PROP also found a local business to "adopt" Emma and her family at Christmas, in the spirit of the season of giving.
Now Emma and her family are on the road to independence.
Jen enrolled in our Peer Leader Program when she was 8 years old. All her life, she has struggled with being part of a large family with very low income. Her mother had physical and mental health problems. There have been few, if any, positive male influences in Jen's life. From adolescence into her early teen years, she was neglected, physically abused, and molested. Jen grew up fast.
School and the Peer Leader groups were her refuge. When times were tough, she rallied support from people she trusted here at PROP. This enabled her to always do well academically and receive recognition for her achievements.
Today at 16, Jen is moving closer to reaching many of her hopes, dreams, and goals in life. She recently got a job as a youth leader. She helps run the household she grew up in and is overcoming issues related to a life-long disability. Jen has an extraordinary ability to put anger in a positive direction and put problems in perspective. She seeks out resources and maintains relationships with programs and individuals that offer her support. She is a dedicated friend.
Go: PROP's Peer Leader Program
A four-generation family headed by an elderly widow was facing eviction from their 50-year old Westbrook home for code violations and unsafe conditions. In crisis, they turned to PROP's home repair loan program. Their household income qualified them to borrow $15,000 at 2% interest. Coupled with federal weatherization and central heating improvement (CHIP) funds, also provided through PROP, the family was able to restore and remodel their home, which became not only livable but more comfortable than before.
PROP is committed to assuring non-discrimination in all aspects of program participation. No one will be denied access to any aspect of participation because of age, sex, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, handicap, veteran status, or political affiliation or belief.
photograph courtesy Philip Greenspun