It was obvious that Toby* wanted to work. When he came to the Well Community, he always stepped in without being asked, offering to take out the trash and do odd jobs. But each time the Well staff offered him a job at the Well, he turned it down, never giving a reason why.
Finally, they learned why Toby kept saying no: He didn’t have any of his documents. Mental health struggles had led to over a decade of homelessness, and he knew he didn’t have the identification he needed to be hired. The trickle-down effects of the poverty brought about by his condition had stolen his options for providing for himself.
Well Community staff, including Manager of Operations Ericka Ruiz, helped him through the long process of getting identification—a complicated endeavor as it requires first having some proof of identity. But they persisted, starting with obtaining Toby’s birth certificate and finally a Texas ID—and then, a job at the Well.
“It took us two years to be able to get to do all that, to figure out everything and get through the system,” Ericka recalls. “Not everybody has somebody to do that for them.” Without this help, Toby would have remained without identification and ineligible to work.
Like Toby, Franklin also came to the Well Community eager to help out, and he was thrilled when he found a part-time job. But not long after he started working, the Well staff learned he’d had a mental health crisis and was in the hospital.
As the staff soon learned from Franklin’s family, this wasn’t the first time he’d experienced such a setback after landing a job. “He wants to work,” Ericka shares. “He lives off of a fixed income. He has to pay his rent, and then he doesn’t have money left over to spend on anything. … Because of his mental illness, the job puts stress on him, and in turn, he ends up having an episode and it just doesn’t work out for him.”
Each week at Thursday Night Life, Franklin continues to ask for prayer that he can go back to work. And, like many living with serious mental illnesses, he faces stigma as others make assumptions about him based on his employment status in spite of his deep desire to hold a job. But, as Ericka states, “They’re not lazy. If they could work, they would.”
For Luis, poverty has not only led to joblessness and homelessness but has prevented him from accessing assistance from other organizations in the community. “It’s the stress of being homeless,” Ericka explains. “He gets frustrated easily from being in this heat, being homeless and everything. And then when he doesn’t get what he wants or when they don’t understand him, he gets frustrated really easily.”
As a result of this continual frustration, Luis quickly becomes angry and aggressive. His capacity to regulate his emotions has been eroded by the ongoing stressors of homelessness, which in turn makes it more difficult for him to get assistance in meeting his basic needs.
Toby, Franklin and Luis all know well how mental illness steals their ability to attend to their basic needs. They understand deeply how the poverty brought about by their conditions continually robs them of opportunities for housing and jobs and makes every day a struggle.
But at the Well Community, they find understanding, help and friendship. Through case management services, they receive assistance in accessing resources and navigating complicated systems, and through the kindness of other members, staff, college interns and volunteers, they enjoy connection, a respite from stigma and an environment of support. Your gift will help us continue to come alongside them as they navigate life with the compounding challenges of serious mental illnesses and poverty. Give now.
*Names have been changed.