Last fall, I was driving down North Main Street, and as I got ready to turn onto the Lloyd Expressway, I saw a woman holding a sign asking for money. I thought I recognized her, so I pulled into a nearby parking lot and walked up to her. She had hoped I didn’t recognize her – her name is Brittney, and she’s one of our moms at the Dream Center.
I asked why she was here, and she told this story.
Her son had a football game in Newburgh that night, and she didn’t have a car, so she had to Uber her way anywhere she went. She couldn’t pick up any more shifts at work that day, and she didn’t have a penny to her name. So, she did the only thing she knew to do – she came to the corner to ask for money.
I asked if she’d contacted Britt, her Wraparound Care Specialist, and she said no, that she felt like she’d asked for too many things already. I reminded her that that’s not a thing at the Dream Center, and asked her to call Britt and schedule an appointment that afternoon.
Later that day, Brittney came into our office and Britt met her at the door. “Let’s walk down to the gas station and get a soda,” she said. When they walked back in 30 minutes later, they were laughing together, and so I approached Britt and asked what happened.
She told me that she asked Brittney to brainstorm ways that she could solve her own problem, and she said that she could maybe text the other parents from the team to see if they could give her a ride.
Turns out, one of the other parents was sick, and couldn’t take her son to the game. A borrowed car later, and Brittney was able to take both kids to the game.
So, if you’re anything like me, and you’re standing on that corner with Brittney, everything in you wants to hand her a $20 bill. Solve today’s problem, and feel good about what you did.
That’s not how we do things at Dream Center Evansville. Instead, we helped Brittney solve her own problem, building agency and confidence in herself. Next time she’s pressed with this issue, she knows what to do.
Next time she’s pressed with this issue, she knows what to do.
I would love to help you learn more about the wraparound care process at Dream Center Evansville. You can reach me at evans@dreamcenterevansville.org.
This story about Brittney got a really nice epilogue this past week that I’m excited to share in the last post in this series. Stay tuned.
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